


Episode 5: King's Indian

by WilliamShipley



Series: Kyle XY Season 4 [5]
Category: Kyle XY
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-07
Updated: 2014-03-07
Packaged: 2018-01-14 21:37:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 23,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1279756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WilliamShipley/pseuds/WilliamShipley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Kyle and Jessi maneuver in a kind of chess game between the factions of Latnok, they also grow in confidence as a team. Like Adam and Sarah founded Latnok, they create Kesdet, a 'beginning' of them operating on a broader scale.  Josh struggles with the one he wants and the one he has, Lori's musical career becomes more serious. Emily Hollander and Madacorp begin to move into the asset column as well as a couple of Latnok board members.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beechwood High

Jessi pulled her red Corvette into the Beechwood High parking lot and shut off the engine. She looked over at Lori, who was riding with her, an expression of concern on her face.

Lori reassured her, "Don't be nervous, he's the one who was in the wrong."

Jessi said, "Nicole explained to me that I gave him the wrong signals, it's my fault too."

"Up until the point when he tried to use force, after that, there's no excuse," Lori said confidently. "Let's go in, it will be all right."

Jessi nodded and got out. The two of them went into the school together. As they were going down the hall, they encountered Raymond Osgood coming toward them. He stopped in front of them and confronted Jessi with a slightly hoarse voice, "I don't know why you led me on like that, what were you trying to prove?"

"I thought you liked me," Jessi protested. "I was just trying to do the right thing."

"So you invited me to that apartment and then turned into the ice queen?" He said, scornfully. "And when I complained, you assaulted me."

Jessi started to speak, but Lori put her hand on Jessi's arm. She explained to Raymond, "Jessi doesn't have a lot of experience dating. She wasn't trying to come on to you. When you said you wanted to go somewhere quiet and talk, she thought you really meant it."

"Seriously?" Raymond asked sarcastically. "Was she born yesterday? She was hot enough for it at the dance. What does she have, a split personality." He pointed at Jessi, "I should have called the cops and had them lock her up." Jessi shrank in response.

Lori said, "Right, you're going to call the cops and tell them that the girl you tried to force yourself on objected? I don't think so."

He paused for a moment, taken aback, "I didn't force myself on her. We were just making out."

"She said No," Lori pointed at him. "And you kept trying. Do you _really_ want the police involved?"

He frowned and became less confident, "Maybe not, but I'll spread the word around the school. No one is going to want to have anything to do with her after this. She really is crazy."

Lori looked him in the eye and said, "Think this through, Osgood. I hear that you have a number of schools scouting you. Do you really want to have a big gossip item going around about you trying to force a girl and how she beat you up? You could get the reputation for having 'off the field problems'. And having a girl beat you up would really enhance your tough guy reputation."

"That's not how it happened," Raymond said defensively.

"That's _exactly_ how it happened," Lori insisted. She continued more reasonably, "Jessi is sorry she hurt you." She looked at Jessi expectantly.

"I'm sorry," Jessi said.

"And you're sorry you misunderstood," she said to Raymond who just stared at her. She waited a moment and repeated, "You're sorry you misunderstood."

Raymond reluctantly repeated, "I'm sorry I misunderstood."

"Good," Lori agreed. "Now it turns out that the two of you are not compatible and that you mutually decided to call it quits."

"You can say that again," Raymond spoke with conviction.

"And that's all anyone needs to know about this," Lori nodded. She paused for a moment and warned, "Unless I hear rumors of you forcing yourself on other girls."

"I'm not like that," Raymond protested. "She led me ..." Lori glared at him. He continued, "I misunderstood."

"A simple misunderstanding," Lori agreed. "Now everyone can go on about their lives and we can put this in the past."

"Fine by me," Raymond moved past them, heading down the hall.

Lori turned to Jessi who looked uncertain and had tears in her eyes, "That should be the end of that."

"Maybe he's right, maybe I am crazy," Jessi said.

"No you're not," Lori insisted. "Kyle doesn't think you are crazy, does he? And we all trust Kyle."

"That's true," Jessi said, brightening.

"Raymond was right about one part of it, though," Lori said. Jessi looked at her concerned, and she continued with a smile, "You were born _almost_ yesterday. You'll learn. I'll help you."

"Thank you," Jessi said. "I like having a sister."

Lori said, "I like having a sister, too."


	2. Industrial Park

"This is the address the rental agent gave me," Stephen said as he parked the car. He got out, along with Jessi and Kyle. They stood looking at the unit in the office/light industrial complex. Like all the other units in the complex it was two stories high, cement construction with the front made up of large glass windows. The rental agent was waiting for them with Tom Foss standing to the side, looking menacing as usual.

The agent approached them and focused on Stephen. "Are you Stephen Trager?" When Stephen nodded he reached out his hand, "Dave Hamm."

Stephen indicated Kyle and Jessi, "This is Kyle and Jessi and that's our friend, Tom Foss." He pointed at Foss.

"Mr. Foss was here when I arrived," Dave said. "I've given him a tour while we waited for you. Let's go in and take a look." As he went through the door he began, "This is a two thousand square foot unit, with about a thousand feet of office space split into an upstairs and a downstairs. In the back the warehouse section contains the second thousand square feet and has a two story high ceiling."

Jessi interrupted, "What is the electrical service?"

Dave was slightly taken back at the source of the question, but answered, "The unit has a thousand amp service."

Stephen looked at Jessi and she nodded, "That should be sufficient."

Dave continued, "The whole unit has HVAC cooling and heating, office and warehouse. There is a small break room with a sink downstairs, upstairs is office space. Back here is the warehouse." He led them into a large open space. The cement walls and floor were covered with a coat of paint which made the room look and feel cleaner. There were skylights in the ceiling and a steel roll up door in the back.

After they had looked around, Jessi said, "Can we see the upstairs?"

Dave, still obviously puzzled that Jessi was taking the lead on questions, gestured toward the stairway, "Sure, follow me." They went up the stairs. The upper area was a carpeted open area with a washroom to one side. The windows gave an open view of the street. He said, "You could partition this but the open layout puts the windows to best use."

They looked around and then Stephen quietly asked Jessi, "What do you think?"

She nodded, "I think it would work for what we need, I want to talk to Kyle and Tom and see what they think."

Stephen tilted his head toward the stairs, "Do you want me to take the agent downstairs?"

Jessi smiled, "Yes, Thank you."

Stephen turned to Dave and said in a louder voice, "Dave, why don't we go downstairs and go over the financial stuff." Dave assented and they went down the stairs.

Foss looked at them, puzzled, "You want all this for a computer?"

Jessi explained, "It will be a large computer system. We need more electrical power than we have access to at the Trager House. Plus the warehouse would be good for a workshop. Since Kyle and I took all the spare rooms in the Trager house, it's too crowded to build anything. If the computer modeling works we'll want to construct a prototype."

Kyle said, "What do you think of it from a security point of view?"

"Well, it wouldn't be Madacorp or Zzyzx, of course," Foss shrugged. "I could reinforce the front door, add serious locks, and replace the back door, but there isn't anything I could do to stop a determined intruder. There are glass windows, after all. It's an end unit so that side can be watched. Your other neighbor is a furniture refinisher who's been there for five years. I don't see any risks there."

Jessi offered, "If you wanted to move your base from the warehouse you're in now, you could have the top area, it would give you a good view. You could set up your gym in the back."

Foss smiled at her, "Are you trying to look out for me?" He looked around, "This would work. It is getting colder. It might be nice to have a better heater. And, I could keep an eye on your computer."

"Then I think I'll rent it," Jessi said, "if you like it, Kyle."

"This is all going to be very expensive," Kyle said doubtfully. "Are you sure you want to spend that much money?"

"It's our project," Jessi assured him. "We're working on it together, I want it to succeed." She paused a moment and continued, "If it works I think we will have plenty of money."

"That's probably true," Kyle agreed.

Foss suggested, "If you are going to be buying things and renting facilities, you should probably form a corporation to provide legal structure. Suppliers are more comfortable dealing with a company than individuals. Brian Taylor used to do that type of thing for Adam, but I don't think that you want to bring him into this."

Kyle said, "We're being friendly with Brian, but we don't really trust him."

Foss nodded, then looked at Jessi and hesitantly said, "Jessi, I heard about the problem you had with the quarterback."

Jessi looked embarrassed, "I got angry and almost hurt him seriously. I didn't mean to."

"I know," Foss said. "I was thinking of giving you some martial arts training."

Kyle frowned, "Jessi is already very capable in a fight, why would she need training?"

"Since she's untrained, she doesn't have many techniques to work with. If she had more, she would be less likely to hurt someone by accident," Foss said.

Jessi looked hopeful, "If I had lessons, I wouldn't hurt anyone?"

"You'd be less likely to hurt someone _accidentally_ ," Foss assured her. "You will be more capable of hurting them if you wanted to, and only as much as you intended."

Jessi smiled, "That sounds like a good idea. Would you teach me?"

"All right," Foss said. "We can schedule some sessions. It wouldn't hurt for you to have some martial arts training too, Kyle."

"If Jessi is going to, then I want to," Kyle said.

Jessi got a competitive gleam in her eye. She said, "That would be fun. We could see who really was strongest and fastest."

"We will be working on control," Foss cautioned.

Jessi smiled, "Let's go tell Stephen that we want it."

They went downstairs and started the process of leasing the unit.


	3. UDub Latnok

Jessie pulled her Corvette into the parking lot at UDub and she and Kyle got out. As they walked toward the science building which had the Latnok offices in the basement, Jessi reached over and took Kyle's hand. Kyle gave her hand an affectionate squeeze in return. They held hands as they walked.

_Even though Jessi and I had still not gone on our first date yet, we were sharing more signs of affection. While we had hugged each other, comforted each other and even kissed each other, it had always been a reaction to some event, something that had overcome my hesitation. I had hesitated at first from my feelings for Amanda and later from my desire to obey Nicole's request that we not pursue a romantic relationship. Jessi was obviously happy with the new arrangement and it felt good to me as well. But I still called Amanda every day and I knew she was coming home at Christmas. Amanda had told me that I wasn't supposed to be waiting for her, so I was not cheating on her, but it felt like I was. My feelings were becoming very confused._

They walked down the stairs hand in hand, then Jessi reluctantly let go as Kyle went to talk to a student he had promised help and Jessi went to her workstation to start up her computer. She had just started searching for information when Brian Taylor appeared at her workstation.

Brian said, "I've been waiting for you and Kyle to get here. When you reach a good place to take a break, I'd like us to go for a walk and get some coffee."

"Is there a problem?" Jessi asked, frowning.

"I just have some thoughts I'd like to discuss with you," Brian assured her. "It might be more comfortable talking outside than sitting in my office. I like to get out of the office and get some fresh air in the afternoon, anyway."

"I was just getting started, "Jessi shrugged. "I can stop now, if Kyle is available."

Kyle noticed them talking and came to join the conversation, still protective of Jessi. He was easily persuaded to go out. As they left the building Brian explained, "I don't really want to talk about your Latnok plans or anything we want to keep private in that office."

"Do you think the office is bugged?" Kyle asked, surprised.

"I'm just cautious," Brian shrugged. "I spent a lot of time working with Tom Foss, he teaches you to be paranoid. And it really is nice to get out in the afternoon. It's a nice day."

They got coffee and found a table outside. Brian said, "I came back because Grace Kingsley convinced me that Jessi was in danger. Apparently you stirred up some trouble at the last Latnok board meeting. What actually happened?"

Kyle explained, "When we got the financial data for the meeting we analyzed it and then did some searching of public records. We became concerned with the degree to which Latnok is involved in military research. We also think that we found signs of investments in autonomous weapons systems, biological warfare, and involvement with mercenaries and insurgencies."

Jessi added, "We want to encourage Latnok to follow Adam and Sarah's original goals. We don't think that's what they would want.

"I was there when they were planning Latnok," Brian told them. "And I can assure you that that type of thing was not what Adam had in mind. Unfortunately there was soon too much money and power involved and some of the members became more interested in that. He lost control of a number of areas, most importantly, the Zzyzx project." He paused a moment, then continued, "He subsequently became discouraged and withdrawn. There were many on the board who still wanted him to lead them, to recapture the spirit that inspired them all in the beginning, but he retreated to work on projects by himself."

"We don't want to retreat, we want to fight back," Jessi said with determination.

"I'm not trying to stop you from doing that," Brian assured her. "Latnok had a lot of promise. It still does good work. It could do much more. I think that many of the board members would encourage you as well." He sighed, and continued, "So, you found out things you didn't like. What did you do with this information?"

Kyle said, "I mentioned it during the board meeting. We had some discussion on the advisability of being involved in military research. After that, Ben Crossgate asked us to document our findings for discussion at the next meeting."

"And as a result, Grace brought me here and told me that the two of you were digging into Latnok finances, and that there were people who had things to hide who thought you might find them," Brian nodded and gestured with an open hand. "Obviously you've touched a nerve. You must have found something serious."

"We've found some more details," Kyle said. "We're not ready to send them to Ben Crossgate, yet."

"You need to slow down, Kyle," Brian warned him. "What you are doing is dangerous. These are powerful people who can be quite ruthless. If Grace is telling the truth, Jessi is at risk, maybe both of you."

"We can't let them intimidate us into stopping," Jessi insisted.

Brian said, "You can't simply dump this information onto the table at the board meeting and expect everything to go well. The board members of Latnok are all very smart people, but they aren't in Adam's league and the two of you are well beyond him. They cannot make the connections you can. You need to build your case clearly and completely and then present it. Until then it would be better to give the impression that you haven't found anything concrete. Don't make them feel any more threatened than they already do."

Kyle nodded, "That would make them more likely to become violent. We can do that."

"The other thing you should do," Brian advised, "is to make contact with individual members of the board. It's important to get to know them and have them get to know you. This isn't just a battle of technical facts, it's also political and that means having people you know that you can count on. There is no substitute for personal contact. I can give you some guidance to the board members, but I'm not certain that my judgments are all correct. Someone shot Adam."

Kyle thought for a moment, "At the reception before the Latnok meeting, Ryan Milland and Allana Sellars both said they would like to meet with us. They seemed friendly. Robert Lukeson didn't seem very friendly. We didn't like him."

"I think Lukeson is probably one of the ones in Grace's circle," Brian agreed. "Ryan and Allana have always struck me as trying to remain true to Adam's vision. It would probably be a good idea to meet with each of them and get to know them. You can make your own judgments. Be careful what you say, though, I'm not sure who can really be trusted."

"Allana said 'Be very careful, trust no one'," Jessi said.

"That's good advice," Brian agreed.

"We are also looking into Madacorp for Mike Kasperson," Kyle said. "He asked us to look over all their activities to make sure that there are no other projects that the board is unaware of."

"That was a very good idea," Brian nodded raising his eyebrows. "I was never really sure of Mike but when things got bad at Madacorp and I called him, he stepped in to fix things immediately. He seemed surprised and quite upset. I don't think he knew what was going on. I'm not sure though."

"We think he was telling us the truth," Kyle said. "So far it looks like Madacorp has been cleaned up, but we are not finished with our studies. Once we are done with that, we plan to get the information ready for Ben Crossgate."

Brian thought a moment, "I used to play chess. A common chess strategy is to try to seize control of the center of the board immediately. While that is a powerful opening, it exposes your pieces to attack. I generally liked an approach that didn't immediately challenge the center. I often played the 'King's Indian attack' with white.

Kyle quoted, "A chess opening system for white, most notably used by Bobby Fisher. It involves a king side fianchetto and castling. It provides a strong defense and prepares lines of attack on the center for an active midgame."

Brian smiled, "That's what I'm suggesting. Don't charge into the center of the board. Build up you allies, prepare your lines of attack. Wait until you can move with overwhelming force."

Kyle smiled, considering the analogy, "The King's Indian attack."

"Exactly," Brian smiled. "Get to know Ryan and Allana. Don't let anyone know what you've found until you are ready to strike. Take your time. When you act, act decisively."

_Take your time. This was exactly what Grace wanted to do when she brought Brian in. She wanted to slow us down, maybe stop us. But Brian's ideas seemed wise. He had been dealing with these people on Adam's behalf. Adam had said that Brian had been acting in his own interest for years. Adam didn't trust him, could we? I decided that I would listen to him and consider his advice but trust my own judgment._


	4. Declan and Jackie

Jackie and Declan were sitting at a table near the brick facade at one side of the restaurant. The greenery motif was subdued in their vicinity unlike some of the other tables which were overhung with branches. It gave an outdoor feel to the room.

Declan ate a bite of his Moussaka and asked Jackie, "How are your grape leaves?"

The Dolmathes are fine, would you like one?" Jackie asked.

"No thank you," Declan said, "So, are you getting into the swing of the new semester?"

"I have a few classes, but mostly I'm writing grant applications for my plant project. I have it all written up and I want to see if I can get the funding for a pilot program. My test plot is almost mature. When it is, I will still need to harvest the seeds."

"Do you think you'll have any trouble getting a grant?" Declan asked.

Jackie smiled hopefully, "Brian Taylor -- he's the guy who took over from Grace Kingsley -- said that he didn't think there would be any trouble getting the funding. It isn't really very much money."

"I know all about Brian Taylor," Declan said in passing. "So what happens when you get the grant?"

"You seem to know a lot of things," Jackie observed with a puzzled expression, then continued, "anyway, the next thing I have to do is to take the seeds I harvested and plant an acre or two -- as much as I have seed for. That will give me sufficient yield to have plenty of seed and some product for larger scale nutritional tests and some animal testing. If that goes well then we move to larger scale. That won't happen for months, though."

"Is it still looking as good as you thought?" Declan asked.

"It grows really fast and has a great nutritional profile," Jackie nodded. "It's pretty amazing." She paused for a moment and then frowned, "You always ask about me, what about you? How is your semester going?"

"It's high school," Declan shrugged. "It's not like I'm changing the world."

"This is your senior year," Jackie said. "Where do you want to go to college when you graduate?"

"When I was going to be a basketball star, it was going to be wherever I got a scholarship," Declan said. "Now that's no longer an option."

"Are you going to have trouble going to college without a scholarship?" Jackie asked.

"My grades may be the problem," Declan smiled tilting his head. "I'm not exactly a dedicated student. No, the scholarship was just part of being on a team. My dad has plenty of money. He can afford to send me."

"What does your father do," Jackie asked. "You never talk about him."

"He's a senior partner at his law firm. To be honest, I rarely see him. He's away a lot or working late," Declan shrugged. "He used to pretend to be interested in what I do. He came to a couple of my basketball games when I was playing well. Mostly we just pass each other in the hallway from time to time."

"Do you want to be a lawyer like him?"

"No, I don't really have the brains, or the interest," Declan shook his head. "He gave up on that long ago."

"I think you have plenty of brains," Jackie smiled. "You just need to use them. So where are you going to go? You have to go somewhere."

"I'll probably go to UDub," Declan said. "I don't know what I'd study, though."

"You don't have to decide right away," Jackie advised. "For at least the first year you can simply do the required subjects and see what interests you."

"I suppose so," Declan smiled. "At the moment, you're what interests me."

"So, you want to study me?" Jackie asked flirtatiously.

"Every chance I get," Declan said with a smile.


	5. Josh's Room

The late afternoon sun was shining through Josh's window. The smells of food being prepared were wafting upstairs reminding him that dinner was approaching. He texted Andy to ask if she was available. Within moments her image appeared on his computer screen.

"Josh," she said smiling. "My hero, come to rescue me from homework."

"It's more like a holding effort," Josh advised her. "It's not too long until dinner."

"A short rescue is welcome," Andy said. "I'm glad you don't have to work today."

"Me too," Josh agreed. "Aside from the fact I can't talk to you, it's a madhouse after school."

"Oh, so it's not ardent love for me that inspires you," Andy smiled. "You're just being a slacker, as usual."

"Hey, that's not fair. I do love you," Josh objected.

Andy became serious for a moment. She said, "I know, Josh."

"So, how's Cleveland today."

Andy frowned, "It's pretty cold. The kids here, they just don't get me. I try to bring a little spontaneity into their lives and they look at me like I'm a freak."

"They won't let you play G-Force in the boy's bathroom?"

Andy laughed, "Oh that really wouldn't work here." She paused and continued, "I'm just not in sync with anyone. I miss hanging out with you. You get me."

"You have to give them time," Josh advised. "I was clueless for quite a while. You need to first put them through a rigorous training program. I thought you were going to be starting the interview process."

"My pile of resumes is pretty thin." Andy's smile fading momentarily. She changed the subject, "What about you and Katie, any good gossip?"

Josh shrugged, "Nothing in particular. When I worked at the rack the other afternoon she came and did her homework there. We chatted some between smoothies, but that's all."

"You should take her to another dance," Andy suggested.

"Maybe," Josh said, half heartedly. "You know who _is_ going to the dance? Kyle and Jessi."

"Together?" Andy asked. "I mean, I'm not surprised about Jessi, she was practically hitting him with a two by four to get his attention, but Kyle is thick headed. He seemed intent on Amanda."

"Amanda's off at the conservatory this semester and Kyle seems at loose ends," Josh told her. "Anyway, he's taking her to the dance and she's walking on air." He hastily added, "That's just an expression."

"I get it, Josh," Andy said scornfully. "I didn't think she could really levitate. Well, I like Kyle; he was very reassuring to me when I was scared and needed reassurance."

"Kyle is like that, he has an amazing ability to make you feel better," Josh smiled. "To cure what's ailing you."

"Well, that was beyond a little cheering up, but I _was_ cured," Andy's voice got quieter, "I still am. I just had another test, no sign of it."

"I don't think it will be back," Josh said confidently. "That's good news, anyway."

"So if Kyle and Jessi are going to the dance, you really have to take Katie," Andy suggested. "And, this time, give the girl a little loving, maybe you ought to steal a base or two."

"I don't know," Josh frowned. "Every time I get interested I think about you and me and how it felt to touch you and, well..."

"Well, that's not an option," Andy reminded him. Then she smiled, "Although, if you give me a call after dinner, you might catch me getting ready for bed."

"That could be interesting," Josh agreed. "But I would like to touch you again."

"It's funny how a girl can miss those scrawny arms, but I do."

Josh smiled, "I think it's dinner time. I'll call you back in a couple of hours."

"I'll be here." She blew him a kiss as he logged off.


	6. The Rack

The Rack was the usual madhouse after school and Josh was struggling to keep up with the orders. From time to time he looked over at Katie who was reading her homework at one end of the counter. Eventually the rush started to settle down and he went to talk to her.

"You can really do homework in this madhouse?" He asked.

Katie marked her spot and looked up, "I told you it's quieter than at home. And I don't have to make smoothies. I just sit here drinking them."

"Well, you're certainly welcome to sit here," Josh said. "It's nice to have you around."

"That sounds suspiciously like a compliment," Katie smiled.

"Well, it is," Josh said defensively. Then he forged ahead, "There's another dance this Friday. Would you like to go?"

Katie smiled brightly, "I'd love to. I've almost recovered from the last one."

"I don't dance that wildly," Josh complained.

"Well, you wore me out," Katie's smile faded slightly as she tilted her head questioningly and asked, "Did Andy tell you to ask me out?"

Josh blushed slightly, "Well she did suggest it."

"Josh, I don't want to go to the dance with you because Andy wants me to," Katie said. "I want to go because you want to take me. Do you want to take me?"

"Of course I do," Josh told her. "We'll have a good time."

Katie looked at him for a moment and then agreed, "Ok, then I'll go with you."

Josh looked back at the counter, "Customers are starting to pile up, I better get back to them."

"I'll be here," Katie promised.

As Josh started working his way through the customers, he looked up and saw that the next customer was Declan.

"Declan," he said. "I haven't seen you in a while. What can I get for you?"

"I've been busy," Declan said vaguely. "I'd like a latte."

Josh made his latte and then moved to the next customer. Declan sipped it as he looked around the room. He spotted Lori sitting at one of the tables at the side of the room, papers spread all over the table. He went over to her table.

"Hi Trager," he said. "Are you here to work on songs with that Mark fellow?"

"That Mark fellow?" Lori raised an eyebrow. She said, "Mark is meeting me here in a half an hour."

"Do you mind if I sit with you while I drink my latte?" Declan asked.

"Be my guest," Lori waved at the empty chair across from her.

Declan sat and sipped his latte, looking at the songs spread over the table. "You seem to have been really busy," he observed.

"I have to be, I have a performance on Saturday that I have to get ready for," Lori sighed. "This isn't one of those 'open mic' things. I am going to be on stage for forty five minutes." She waved at the table full of songs, "That takes a lot of songs."

"I'll have to come, maybe Jackie will want to come too," Declan said.

"So how _are_ things going with you and Jackie?" Lori asked. "She seemed like a nice girl when Hillary and I were talking to her. I don't know what she sees in _you_ ," She said playfully.

"I don't either," Declan admitted. "She's fun and very nice. She's also very smart. To be honest I don't really understand this project she's working on. I know that Jessi gave her some ideas and it's going to 'feed the world' but most of it goes over my head."

"I don't even try to talk to Mark about what he's working on," Lori confided. "He knows better than to try to explain it to me." She looked appraisingly at Declan and said, "So is it the sex?"

"A gentleman never tells," Declan smiled. Lori nodded knowingly. Declan changed the subject, "So where are you planning on going to college?"

"I'm not sure where I can get accepted," Lori shrugged. "I was thinking about UDub, Mark seems to think it's a good idea. It's a nice campus and I'm getting used to it since I've been going there to sing every few weeks. Some people already know me. Where are you thinking of going?"

"It wouldn't be a bad place to go. Jackie's there. I may want to see where Kyle and Jessi are going first."

"Are you still doing the security thing with Foss?" Lori asked.

"I've been watching Kyle's back the last couple of years," Declan said. "It seems like something worth doing. It's not like I can play basketball anymore. And Foss is showing me some interesting things, I like learning from him. He takes me seriously."

"What do you mean?" Lori asked.

Declan explained, "My dad never took anything I did seriously. Once he figured out I was never going to be a lawyer he really didn't have any way to connect with me. We play golf once in a while but there's nothing to talk about. He could care less about basketball. Foss is teaching me serious things, and expecting that I will learn them. He takes me seriously. I guess he's making me take myself seriously as a result."

Lori raised an eyebrow and nodded, "You do seem more confident. So where does all of this lead?"

"I don't know," Declan shook his head. "I'm just doing the day to day things. It's been interesting being involved in Kyle's secrets. Foss thinks that Kyle and Jessi are important. He thinks that helping them is an important thing to do. He's dedicated to protecting them."

"So are you planning on dedicating yourself to their protection too?" Lori asked skeptically.

"I don't know, for now it's better than moping about not playing basketball," Declan smiled. "But Kyle's goofy smile makes you want to help him."

"It does, doesn't it?" Lori admitted.

Declan drained his latte. He got up, saying, "I've got to be going. I'll try to make it to 'Pockets' to see your performance this Saturday."

Lori said, "I'll see you there."

"Later, Trager," Declan said as he walked out of The Rack.


	7. The Dance

Jessi pulled her Corvette into the Beechwood High parking lot. The evening was cool and pleasant. Other students were getting out of their cars and heading toward the dance. She looked over at Kyle, smiled happily, then opened the door and got out. Kyle got out as well. They stood on opposite sides of the car looking at each other. Jessi was wearing the red top that she had bought shopping with Lori.

_As I looked at Jessi, I realized that I had never been on a date with anyone except Amanda. I knew what it was like to be on a date with Amanda, we had a pattern. I felt protective and enjoyed being close to her. Human beings are comfortable with patterns. They are what we use to go through the day, how we deal with both routine and novel situations. We try to find the pattern to let us know what to do. I had no idea what pattern a date with Jessi would take. I had been close to Jessi in many situations, working, fighting, crying but it had always been about something else other than the two of us. Tonight was just about us and I had no pattern to follow._

Jessi's eyes twinkled, "Let's go inside." She walked around to the front of the car, reaching her hand out toward him. He smiled and moved to meet her, reaching out to take her hand. They walked toward the dance hand in hand.

As they walked into the dance, Jessi suggested, "Let's get something to drink first, then we can watch the others dance until we are ready."

"Good idea," Kyle said.

They got soft drinks and stood side by side, watching. Jessi stood close to Kyle, touching his shoulder with hers.

Across the dance floor, Josh was dancing with Katie. He was trying to temper his enthusiasm for wild moves in deference to Katie who had a hard time keeping up.

"It's fun to be out dancing again," Katie said.

"I'm having a good time too," Josh agreed.

The song came to an end and in the short pause, Josh asked, "Are you up for another one?"

"I think that dancing with you is increasing my stamina," Katie smiled. "I can do another one."

Back where Kyle and Jessi were standing, as the next song started, Kyle looked at Jessi and suggested, "I think we should dance this time."

Jessi followed him onto the floor and they began to dance. At first, their style was stiffer than the other dancers but they came up to speed as they each looked past the other for guidance from nearby dancers. As a result, while they were dancing reasonably well, they didn't quite seem to be dancing with each other.

Kyle noticed this, "We aren't dancing together. Maybe one of us should pick up a pattern and the other one follow."

"I'll follow you, Kyle," Jessi said. "At least for this dance," she added mischievously.

"We can trade off," Kyle agreed. He watched a couple a few feet behind Jessi and picked the style from them and Jessi copied him. They followed this pattern for the rest of the dance.

The music ended and Jessi stepped closer to Kyle. She said, smiling, "Follow me for the next one."

"Ok," Kyle said with a smile at Jessi's competitiveness. The music started and Jessi picked up a pattern with Kyle following her. They had just gotten started when Kyle suddenly stopped. Jessi stopped in reaction. Kyle pointed "Look, there's Josh and Katie, I have an idea. Come with me." He took Jessi's hand and quickly led her between the couples to where Josh was dancing with Katie.

Josh was enjoying the song and getting into the spirit of the dance with Katie valiantly trying to keep up. As they got close, Kyle said to Jessi, "Follow Josh" and guided her between them. Suddenly Josh, Jessi and Kyle were all dancing in sync following Josh's lead. "Josh and I did this at the alternative dance last spring," Kyle explained over the music.

Josh, getting a rush from having Jessi and Kyle dancing with him, went into more enthusiastic moves, challenging them to follow. Their reaction time was fast enough that an observer couldn't tell they were following his moves. They looked like a precision dance team moving in increasingly complex choreography. Katie's movements slowed to a halt and she stood swaying, watching them in amazement. Couples around them stopped dancing as well to watch. The music came to an end and they stopped and looked at each other. The surrounding group applauded. Josh turned to Kyle and offered him a 'high five' which he returned; they both exchanged them with Jessi as well.

Kyle smiled at Josh and took Jessi's hand, leading her away.

"I thought we weren't supposed to call attention to ourselves with our abilities," Jessi teased him, obviously enjoying the attention.

"They'll just think we practice together," Kyle said. "It was fun, wasn't it?" Jessi smiled. "Let's get another soda before the next dance," he added.

Josh and Katie stood, side by side, watching them go. Katie said, "That was amazing. Who was she?"

Josh said, "Jessi is my si... she lives at our house." He shifted in mid sentence. "We practice dancing together."

"Well, you're all really good," Katie said. "I don't think I could do that no matter how much I practiced.

"They have a lot of natural talent," Josh agreed.

The next dance was a slow dance. Back on their own side of the floor, Kyle put his arms around Jessi and she put her arms around him, pulling him close. As they danced, Jessi rested her cheek against his shoulder.

_When I had danced a slow dance with Amanda, I had held her as she relaxed, comfortable in my arms. Jessi didn't relax in my arms but held me as firmly as I held her. I could feel her heart beating against my chest. Our embrace was charged with energy -- that electricity again._

At the end of the dance, when the music stopped, Jessi turned her face toward Kyle and they kissed, after a moment, Kyle pulled back hesitant.

Jessi frowned, "You're thinking about Amanda."

Kyle said, "I'm sorry, Jessi. I'm just torn in two directions. I don't know what to do."

Jessi protested, "I know Amanda is coming back at Christmas. Tonight is _my_ night. Tonight you're with me."

Kyle smiled, "You're right." He kissed her more firmly.

On the other side of the dance floor, Josh was also having problems with divided interests. At the end of the dance, Katie had tried to kiss him and he had given her an abbreviated kiss in response. Katie frowned and said, "I know I'm not Andy."

"I'm sorry, Katie," Josh said. "I know it isn't fair to you."

Katie shrugged, "Let's get something to drink. I don't feel like dancing the next dance." They headed off toward the refreshments. As they walked, Josh reached out and took her hand.

As the night wore on, Kyle and Jessi became more comfortable with dancing and became less reliant on following the moves of the other dancers and began to be comfortable making their own moves, driven by the energy between them and their reactions to each other. They took turns challenging each other to keep up, laughing at the sometimes absurd levels to which they went.

The last dance of the night was a slow dance. Kyle and Jessi held each other closely. At the end of the dance, they kissed and Kyle didn't hold back. They walked out of the dance with their arms around each other, Jessi's head on his shoulder.

On the other side of the room, Josh and Katie had not fared as well. After taking a break for refreshments, they had danced together but seemed more out of sync than usual. Josh had not had the enthusiasm for some of his exhibitionist style and Katie had a harder time staying with him. As they danced the last dance, her eyes glistened slightly. When it came to an end she turned her face to him and he kissed her gently but pulled away as she started to respond.

"Katie, I just can't," Josh admitted.

Katie nodded, sadly. She said, "I just keep hanging on, hoping that you'll like me, instead of looking at me as 'not Andy'. This isn't going to work. I can't do it anymore." She had tears in her eyes now.

Josh tried to kiss her and she turned her head away, "No," she said, "you don't really mean it. You want me to be Andy and I can't. Andy's in Cleveland." She looked at him and took a deep breath, "I think you better take me home."

Returning home, Jessi pulled up in front of the Trager house. She and Kyle got out. They walked, holding hands up the sidewalk. As they reached the door, Jessi turned to Kyle and said, "According to what I've read, when you get your date to her front door, it's traditional to have a good night kiss."

Kyle looked puzzled, "But this is my front door too."

"Yes, but once we go inside, we are 'under Nicole's roof' and she wants us to be discreet," Jessi said. She added in a slightly subdued voice, "and our date will be over."

Kyle looked into her eyes and said, "I don't want it to be our last one." He took her in his arms and they kissed.

_I had wondered what a date with Jessi would be like. What type of pattern we would have. Our date had been like much of our other experiences together, full of energy, a chance to explore what we could do with a hint of competition, and a strong feeling of connection. When Jessi had run away from Emily and I had left to find her I had told Nicole that we were the same. Tonight made that even more obvious. Was Jessi my soul mate? It certainly felt like it. My energy had resonated with hers all evening as if we were in a magnetic field. But as I looked at Jessi, I could see the Bloom house over her shoulder. Amanda was coming back. Would she be bringing the butterflies back with her?_


	8. Trager Breakfast

Saturday morning at the Tragers meant family breakfast, with everyone actually sitting down. Nicole made the scrambled eggs and watched as Jessi made her perfect golden pancakes. Jessi appeared particularly cheerful, looking away from her griddle from time to time to watch Kyle set the table. He smiled at her in response.

With the preparations completed, the family gathered around the table, getting juice, coffee and filling their plates.

Nicole looked at Jessi and Kyle, both still smiling and said, "I guess I don't have to ask how the dance went. You two look like you had a good time."

Jessi smiled at her, "It was different dancing with Kyle. When I went dancing with Raymond, I was trying to do the right thing. I was trying to understand what he wanted me to do. With Kyle, even though we were just dancing, we were still a team. We were doing it together." She looked at Kyle and smiled.

Kyle nodded, "That's true, after a while we weren't 'trying to dance properly' we were just dancing with each other, each of us testing the other's ability. By the end, we were dancing together watching each other instead of the other dancers."

"I'll say you were dancing," Josh said. He looked at Nicole and said, "For one dance they came over and danced with Katie and me. The two of them followed my every move. It was just like Kyle back at that alternative dance last year, only this time there were three of us dancing together. Everyone was pretty impressed."

"No," Kyle said, "that was just copying like you told me. You were dancing and we were copying your movements. Later, the two of us were dancing and there was this energy all around us like a magnetic field. I could feel Jessie's moves before she made them." He looked at Jessi.

"I felt it too," Jessi said. "There was a strong feeling of connection."

Jessi and Kyle looked into each other's eyes. Nicole broke the silence by asking Josh, "So, it sounds like you and Katie had a good time, too."

Josh frowned, "Not so good. The dance with Kyle and Jessi was the high spot of the night. Katie and I aren't doing so well together. I don't think Katie is going to want to go out with me again."

Nicole looked sympathetic and asked, "What happened?"

Josh sighed, "It was the same old thing, when we kissed she could tell that I was thinking of Andy." Josh continued, "She's been waiting patiently but I think she's come to the end of her rope. She says she just can't be the odd man out on our dates anymore."

"How could she be the odd man out?" Kyle asked. "She's a girl."

Nicole smiled at him, "When a couple is dating and one of their friends goes along, that person is called the odd man out. It can be uncomfortable to be that person. You feel you are in the way. What she meant was that she could feel Andy's presence in Josh's mind, even though Andy wasn't actually there." She turned to Josh and said, "I can see how she could feel that way. You still obviously have strong feelings for Andy."

"I do," Josh said. "She knows that and wanted to go out anyway. Andy keeps pushing me to take her out. It just isn't working."

Nicole glanced at Jessi. She was looking at her plate, pushing a bite of pancake around, her cheerful mood dimmed.

"I guess my 'dating' is going to be talking to Andy online," Josh said. "It's just as well. I like Katie and I don't think it's fair to her. I should probably call Andy and tell her about it. We're supposed to be playing G-Force this morning." He got up from the table and headed for his room.

_Was I being unfair to Jessi by taking her out when I still loved Amanda? Our date had been wonderful and I couldn't regret it. I don't think Jessi did either, even though the conversation had made her remember that I still had strong feelings for Amanda. I didn't know what I would do when Amanda came back. I couldn't imagine life without her in it. But Jessi and I were connected. Now that I had been on a date with her, I wanted to date her again. Would Jessi become tired of waiting?_

Nicole asked Lori, "Are you ready for your performance tonight?"

"Are you trying to spoil my appetite to keep me from eating the last pancakes?" Lori asked jokingly. "I guess I am, my name is posted and everything."

"We'll be there," Nicole said. She asked Kyle, "Are you and Jessi coming?"

"Of course we are," Kyle said with a smile.

"Well I better go practice," Lori said. "Or pace or something."

"I don't think pacing helps," Kyle smiled. "It never does for me."

Lori smiled at him and left the table.

Stephen turned to Jessi, "I got a call from the real estate agent, Dave Hamm. He says you can have the keys to your unit on Monday."

Jessi said, "He said it might take time to get the lease approved."

Stephen explained to Nicole, "He got uncertain when he found out that Jessi was actually going to be the one leasing the unit." He smiled, "A call from Jessi's bank made him very cooperative." He and Jessi exchanged smiles.

Jessi said, "Tom Foss says that we should form a corporation to buy things and rent facilities. He says it would make it easier to deal with suppliers."

Stephen nodded, "That's probably a good idea. It's not very hard to do; you could probably fill out the paperwork yourselves. Lots of people do that, with what you can do, it should be easy for you."

"I can read some books on corporate law," Kyle suggested.

"I don't think you have to go to that much trouble, it's just a couple of forms," Stephen said.

"It's no trouble," Kyle said with a smile, "It would be good to know. We can stop by the library for a few minutes."

Stephen and Nicole exchanged looks.

"Should I call Foss and tell him he can move his things to the upper area?" Kyle asked.

"Yes tell Tom to go ahead," Jessi agreed. "He should also make the security improvements he talked about." She turned to Stephen, "Thank you for helping me with this. I can work out all the technical details but I'm uncomfortable dealing with people."

"I'm glad to help," Stephen said. "I'm looking forward to seeing this computer you are building. I'd like to know more about how you are going to balance running your model over that many processors." He looked at Nicole who had that tolerant, 'the computer geeks are talking' look and said, "Jessi is just casually extending the art of computer science in multi-processor applications as part of this model she is running. If she wrote it up as a thesis she could probably get a PhD for it."

"We're not in a hurry to be done with school," Kyle said. "We want to graduate from High School before we get PhD's." Nicole laughed and shook her head wonderingly.

Jessi said, "We should order the computer equipment before we go over to UDub today. I want to get our project moving again."

"I can help," Kyle offered. "We should probably do that now." They got up and went to Jessi's room to get on the computer.

Stephen commented to Nicole, "So their date seemed to go well. I'm glad you gave them your consent. I know it's going to be awkward, but so far it seems to not have turned the world upside down -- although I do think that's what the two of them are going to eventually do."

"I was fighting a losing battle from the beginning," Nicole admitted. "I decided it was better to be able to keep the lines of communications open than to make them sneak around me, and put the guilt on Kyle. The whole issue is fraught with peril but sending Jessi out into the normal dating world didn't work all that well either. Fortunately she didn't seriously hurt the guy."

"Well she should have," Stephen said. "He got off easy. I don't want anyone trying that kind of stuff with my daughters."

Nicole smiled at the use of the word 'daughters', "Our life is complicated enough. We don't need to be dealing with a court case too. And you can bet that some of the people at Latnok would get involved if a legal issue came up related to what either of them can do."

"That's true," Stephen agreed. "I hadn't thought of that."

Nicole mused, "Their date went well, but if the relationship deepens, and it certainly isn't going to stay static, then things could get interesting around here. There's also the fact that Amanda is coming back in a couple of months. That's likely to destabilize things. I have no idea what is going to happen there. We could be in for some rocky times."

"We may have to lay in a stock of candles," Stephen said. "The house wiring may be at risk."

Nicole objected, "It isn't funny." Then she laughed and added, "All right, maybe it is a little."


	9. Josh's Room

The late morning sun was shining through Josh's window. Josh and Andy had finished playing a number of games of G-Force and had logged off the game to go to video chat. Andy's face appeared on Josh's computer screen.

Andy frowned, "Katie never showed up. She knows we have a Saturday G-Force game. What do you suppose happened to her?"

"We sort of had a fight," Josh admitted. "I think she's mad at me." He paused for a moment and continued, "Actually, I _know_ she's mad at me."

"What happened?" Andy asked, her frown deepening. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Josh protested. Then he sighed, "That's the problem. She wants our relationship to progress but every time it starts to go anywhere, I hold back."

"Josh, I told you that you should 'give her a little loving'," Andy said. "I really meant that."

"Well, I don't want to," Josh said. "And it really isn't fair to her for me to be dating her as a stand-in for you. It's you that I want to be going out with."

"You know we can't go out," Andy said, "I'm in Cleveland." She sighed, "I like Katie. I think if I were there we'd be friends -- except for fighting over you, of course. But I'm not there and I think she deserved a real chance to have someone. You should have given her that chance. It's not like we're going to be together any time soon."

'Well, making out with someone else is not a substitute for being with you," Josh said firmly. "I am just going to have to wait for the real thing."

"You might have to wait a long time, Josh," Andy was slightly subdued.

"Then I'll wait as long as it takes," Josh said. "We can still play G-Force and talk to each other. I can see you, even if I can't touch you. That will have to do." He looked down for a moment and then back at the screen, "Unless _you_ have someone else."

"I don't think that's going to happen," Andy said. "I'm not very popular here, and I've kind of gotten used to your quirky style. There don't seem to be any candidates worth interviewing."

"So we'll hang out online until we can be together again," Josh said. "I'm sure we can do something next summer. My parents and yours expect that we will drift apart. If we show them that we don't intend to, they'll have to let me visit you."

"I suppose so," Andy said. She looked at him out of the screen, "You really are stubborn," she said with a smile.

"I am about you," Josh said firmly. He continued more subdued, "I love you, Andy."

"I love you, too, Josh," Andy said. They looked at each other for a moment and then she said, clearing her throat, "So how did Kyle and Jessi's date go?"

"They seem to have had a great time," Josh said, "They were making eyes at each other over the breakfast table."

"That must be strange, them dating and both living there," Andy said.

"My mom didn't want them to, but they seem to have talked her into it," Josh said. "It's only been one date so far, so we'll see what happens." He shrugged and continued, "I'm hoping that it might mean she would have some flexibility in other situations."

"You really are hopeless," Andy smiled, "a one track mind."

"That's unfair," Josh protested. "My mind has lots of tracks. They just all lead to the same destination."

"That's my boy," Andy laughed. "You have to work today, don't you? Do you want to chat after dinner, before I go to bed?"

"I'd love to," Josh said. "Oh, I can't. Tonight is Lori's night at 'Pockets'. I promised her I was going to go and cheer her on."

"We can do it tomorrow night, then," Andy said. "Are we still on for G-Force tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," Josh said.


	10. Pockets

Jessi and Lori pulled up in front of 'Pockets'. As Jessi shut the engine off, Lori turned to her, "Thank you for giving me a ride, I know you would rather have driven Kyle."

Jessi smiled, "You like coming here in my car. It gives you confidence."

"It does," Lori admitted. Then she looked out the front window, "But that takes it away." She pointed to a small folding sign that advertised 'Tonight, 8 pm Lori Trager, 9 pm Sue Randolf'."

Jessi gave her a puzzled look, "It makes your heart beat faster. Why does it bother you?"

"It makes me look like a real performer," Lori said. "I'm just a high school girl pretending."

"You are a real performer," Jessi told her. "You've performed here twice before. Gary Baker liked your songs he asked you to sing tonight."

Lori looked gratefully at Jessi, "Thank you. That makes me feel better."

They got out of the car. Stephen had parked the family car nearby and, as they got Lori's guitar out of the trunk, they were joined by Stephen, Nicole, Josh and Kyle. They walked together toward the front door. As they did, Jessi fell into step with Kyle, taking his hand in hers. Nicole, following with Stephen, noting this, glanced at Stephen and he shrugged. As they got to the door, they found Mark waiting for them outside.

"This is getting to be a large group," Lori said.

"You have an entourage," Kyle said with a smile.

Lori smiled at him then opened the door and hesitated when she looked inside. "It's more crowded than last time."

Mark explained, "It gets busier as the semester gets going. Also, 'open mic' night is not the most popular; the performances tend to be spotty."

"I hope we can find a table," Lori worried. They went to the side of the room where they had found open tables the previous times she had come. All the larger tables were occupied except for one with a 'reserved' sign on it.

They were staring at it in dismay when Gary Baker, the tall thin goateed proprietor came over and picked up the sign. He said, "Hi, Lori," I was holding this table for your group. Lori looked surprised.

Mark said, "Thank you, Gary, we appreciate it."

"No problem," Gary said. He looked at Lori, "Are you going to be ready to go by eight o'clock?"

"I'll be ready," she assured him.

"Good," he nodded, "we'll get started on time, then. When we get close, come up to the stage and I'll announce you. You know the drill. Let me get you guys something to drink." He waved a waiter over and told him, "Can you take care of Lori and her friends." He turned to Lori, "I'll see you up there." He headed off.

Nicole said, "Stephen and I are going to find our own table. We don't want to cramp your style." They headed away looking toward a small table. The rest of the party sat down. Jessi sat close to Kyle, touching his shoulder with hers.

Jessi looked at Lori and said, "He thinks you're a real performer."

"Of course you're a real performer," Mark said. "Did someone say you weren't?"

"I was just having an attack of nerves," Lori admitted.

The waiter took their orders and went away. Mark looked at Lori and reassured her, "Don't worry, you've done this before. It's just the same, just more organized."

"It's a lot more than just three songs," Lori said nervously.

"The hardest part of performing is starting," Mark told her. "Once you sing the first one, the extra songs won't matter. Besides, some of these people came to hear _you_."

"That doesn't help," Lori said.

Mark leaned over and kissed her, "You'll be fine. You _have_ done this before."

That settled in and the waiter brought them their drinks. When they tried to pay he said, "Gary says 'it's on the house'."

After she had drunk half of her soda, Lori checked the time, "I think it's time for me to get started." She picked up her guitar and headed toward the stage.

"Break a leg," Kyle said.

As they sat waiting, Kyle asked Josh, "Why didn't you invite Katie?"

Josh shrugged, "I'm really done with that. It's not fair to her to be dating her while thinking about Andy. I'm just going to have to wait until I can see Andy."

Jessi said, "That could be a long time."

Josh shrugged, "It doesn't matter. I love her and I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to be with her."

Jessi looked at Kyle, and then down at the table.

Mark told them, "I think she's about ready to start."

Gary Baker stepped to the microphone and announced, "Good evening. Tonight, we're showcasing an artist we've seen here a couple times before. Let's welcome Lori Trager." There was moderate applause and Lori stepped up to the microphone. She began singing the middle song from her first set, the one they had considered the best.

Kyle looked at Mark questioningly and he explained, "She has their attention already, she can start with this, tonight."

Over at their table, Stephen and Nicole were enjoying their daughter's song. She finished her first number and then moved on to one a bit more upbeat.

Stephen shook his head in amazement, "Just a few months ago, I would never have believed that Lori would be up on stage performing her own songs."

"I know," Nicole said wonderingly. "She really showed no signs of interest in anything like this. It all started as a reaction to her breaking up with Declan and being at a loss for something to do. But Mark has really encouraged her and moved her along. I don't think she would have been bold enough to do something like this without him. He's been good for her."

"And I forbid him to date her," Stephen said with a sigh. "He was a college student and my TA. I thought it would be awkward." He shook his head, "That wasn't my smartest decision."

"They were good reasons, it could still get awkward," Nicole shrugged. She looked over at where Kyle and Jessi were sitting closely together. "I'm still worried about how _that_ is going to work out." She nodded in their direction.

Stephen followed her gaze, "So far it seems to be working out fine. They seem to be happy. You have to admit, on some levels it seems like a really obvious connection."

Nicole shrugged, "I suppose so. It could certainly be a challenge managing the family dynamics. It will be especially unstable when Amanda comes back into the scene."

Stephen nodded, "We've been through some amazing things as a family. I think we'll weather the tribulations of teenage romance, even if it means replacing a fuse from time to time."

Lori finished her second song and started her third one. This one had more of an edge and told of love gone wrong. At their table, Declan and Jackie were holding hands as they listened.

Declan said, ruefully, "I think this one is about me. I recognize it."

Jackie looked at him, "What happened between you and Lori?"

"Life got complicated," Declan said. "Things got in the way. It wasn't anything about her and me. It was the other parts of my life. I guess I just drifted away from her."

"You still like her," Jackie observed. "Don't you?"

"Trager's my friend; we've got a history together. I'm happy that she's with Mark and that she can be up there performing like this." He looked at Jackie, "And of course, I'm happy to be with you."

Jackie leaned over and kissed him. "Don't worry, I'm not jealous. I know that I have your full attention when it counts." Declan blushed. "I like Lori; she was nice when we talked. I think she's a good match for Mark."

"How so?" Declan asked.

"Mark is pretty shy," Jackie explained. "I think he likes Lori's boldness. The fact that she's younger than him makes her not so threatening."

"Do you like the fact that I'm younger?" Declan asked.

"I just don't care," Jackie admitted. "You feel really comfortable. That's what I need right now, I've had some stressful relationships in the recent past, and I just want someone I can talk with." She smiled at him. "And cuddle with too, of course."

"I'll be glad to do that," Declan said and put his arm around her. She put her head on his shoulder and they listened to the music.

Back at Lori's table, Jessi had her arm around Kyle and was resting her head on his shoulder.

"She's really good," Kyle said to Mark.

Mark said, "The important thing is her words, she has a way of choosing the right word."

"Lori's always had an unusual way of saying things," Josh said. "We joke about it sometimes."

"Words are Lori's friends," Kyle said.

"Well, I admire it," Mark said.

"Do you wish you were up there?" Kyle nodded toward the stage.

"No, I wouldn't be good at being out there in front of people like that. I can be a D.J. but I'm behind all my equipment," Mark smiled. "I like being a part of her success, though. It's good to be part of a team."

_Jessi and I had been working as a team. We could do amazing things together. I knew she wanted for us to be more than a team. I could feel her arm across my back, holding me and her head on my shoulder. I knew she was comforted by our closeness but there was also a sense of energy being cycled as when I had given her the kiss to test the electric charge, the current cycling between our bodies. Jessi radiated power as well as affection. When I had held Amanda I had always felt that she was something precious I wanted to protect, to keep things from disturbing her wonderful smile. It made me feel warm and gave me the fluttery feeling of butterflies. I had told Nicole that Jessi and I were the same, but in some ways Amanda and I were more alike. In her I sensed a gentle soul which resonated with mine. Listening to her music was like her soul speaking to mine. Did that make her my soul mate?_

Jessi straightened up with a frown and took her arm from around Kyle and took his hand, still sitting close to him as they watched the rest of Lori's set.

When she had finished her final song, an unusual upbeat number, the audience responded with enthusiastic applause and she left the stage. She showed up at the table after a couple of minutes, some of the members of the audience had stopped her as she walked by and complimented her on the music.

She arrived flushed and happy and sat down. Mark kissed her and she said, "I can't believe I made it through the whole thing." She drank from the remainder of her soda. "That was hard to keep the energy going that long."

"You did really well," Mark assured her. "I'm proud of you."

"We are all proud of you," Kyle said.

She was still breathing faster than normal when Gary Baker came over to their table and said, "That was terrific, Lori."

"Thank you," Lori said. She looked around the room and said, "It is a bit of a rush, isn't it."

"It can be," Gary agreed. "So what do you think? Would you like to do it again in six or eight weeks?"

"Do it again?" Lori asked. "I'm lucky to have survived this time."

"I'm sure she'll be ready to go again by then," Mark told him. He looked at Lori and said, "Won't you?"

"Ok," Lori smiled. "It was kind of fun, in a masochistic sort of way."

"I think we can fit you in once more before Christmas," Gary said. "I'll give Mark a list of possible dates."

At the mention of Christmas, Jessi's smile wavered and she looked down at her hand, holding Kyle's. Kyle reached over with his other hand and patted hers.

Gary looked up at the stage and said, "I have to go get Sue started now." He looked back at the table and said, "Enjoy the rest of the evening." He headed toward the stage.

"I have to do it again," Lori lamented, but her smile betrayed her pleasure at being asked.

"You like it," Jessi said. Lori gave her a look and she continued, "And you are good at it. The people liked it too. They are still talking about you."

"They are?" Lori asked.

"They are," Kyle assured her with a smile.


	11. The Woods

Foss pulled the car off the road and down the short path to where they parked when they went target shooting. As he and Declan got out of the car he turned to Declan, "Get your gun out of its case and load it here, I want you to spend more time walking around with it loaded in your pocket."

"Ok," Declan got the Glock out of the case and put in a cartridge. He put the gun in his right pocket and some extra clips in the left as he had been doing for practice. Foss observed without comment.

They began the process of picking a new path to their clearing.

Foss said, "The school year is making it hard to schedule sessions together. You are continuing your physical workouts at school, as we talked about?"

"Yes," Declan said. "The coach lets me use the weight room to work out. Some of the guys think I'm a little strange since I'm not on the team but they shut up if I can lift more than they do. It's an incentive."

"Good," Foss said. "You can certainly build your upper body and you can do a lot with your legs if you're careful about your ankle."

They quickly reached the depressed area they used for target practice. Declan put down the duffel he was carrying that contained their ear muffs and the cache of ammunition. He looked expectantly at Foss.

Foss began, "Today, we are going to practice drawing and firing in a one on one situation. The El Presidente drill is for multiple targets. Here we are going to be practicing shooting at someone who is going to be shooting back at you." Declan nodded. Foss continued, "I am going to put up a target. The drill will be for you to pull your Glock out of your pocket chamber a round, fire and then fire three more shots at the target.

"That seems simple," Declan frowned. "What's the catch?"

"I don't want you to stand still after the first shot," Foss explained. "I want you to practice moving. You could step to one side, or you could move downward into a crouching position. The idea is to get a quick shot off, which could end the fight. But if it doesn't move to avoid the return fire." Foss went about ten yards away and put numbered targets on three trees. He came back to stand by Declan. Declan had already put his ear muffs on and was holding a pair for Foss.

Declan asked, "Three targets?"

"I'll pick which one you are supposed to shoot," Foss said. "I want you to still have some last moment decision process. If you move to the side, you might want to move away from your bad ankle so that the good one takes up the stress. Here's what I mean." Foss went through the motions of firing and moving as well as firing and crouching without discharging his weapon.

"Are you ready?" Foss asked. Declan nodded and he commanded, "Number two."

Declan pulled his Glock out, chambered a round and fired at the number two target, then he stepped to the right and fired three more shots. They walked over to the target and saw one hole.

Foss said, "The trick to moving is the same as switching from target to target, you need to stabilize the gun at the moment you fire."

They went back to the starting spot and Foss instructed, "Clear the round out of the chamber and put the gun back into your pocket and we'll go again." When Declan had done so, he said, "Let's try a crouch. Three!"

Declan fired the first shot and awkwardly crouched and fired three more rounds.

Foss nodded, "Not bad, you have to practice until you can do it smoothly."

Declan frowned thoughtfully, "I think the crouching works better for me. I got a twinge from my ankle as I pushed off of it."

They repeated the drill a couple of dozen times, mostly practicing crouching but with some moving until Foss called a halt to the process, "That's probably enough for today. Let's sit down." They went over to their traditional log.

As they sat drinking water, Foss said, "I'm going to be moving my monitoring equipment to Jessi's new office this week, so we can do our drills there. The warehouse area will provide plenty of room."

"Are you through with the old warehouse, then?" Declan asked.

"I'm going to keep it as a backup," Foss said. "It has more space. If we need a lot of room for something we can use it."

"So, Jessi and Kyle are building some kind of super computer there?" Declan asked.

"They need commercial grade power, apparently. I don't really understand what they are doing, but I'm used to that from my years with Adam."

"You've dedicated a lot of your life to protecting Adam and now Kyle and Jessi," Declan observed. "It's an unusual career choice."

"They're all unusual people," Foss said. "They have a chance to change the world in a way that I would never be able to do -- if I can keep them alive to do it. I failed Adam. I do not intend to fail them."

"You're willing to dedicate your life, possibly die, to help them?" Declan asked.

"You don't have to be the star of the team to help hold up the trophy," Foss told him. He smiled, "And we are talking about what could be a really big trophy. A lot of people die for a lot less."

Declan nodded, "I can see that."

"Are you having doubts about being involved?" Foss asked with a frown.

"No," Declan shook his head. "Without being part of this circus I'm not sure what I would be doing now that basketball is out of the picture. I'm just beginning to look beyond the day to day and wonder what the future holds. I guess it's because my girlfriend was asking me about college."

"We don't know where Kyle and Jessi are going to go," Foss said. "They don't really need to go to college but I suspect they'll continue to want to have as normal of a life as possible. It would be useful for you to go as well to stay close to them."

"I really don't know what I'd study," Declan shrugged.

"A lot of people start like that," Foss said. "You might look into a law enforcement degree. There's some overlap with what we do and knowing police procedure is always good, especially if you are trying to get around it." Foss grinned at him.

"I never thought of that," Declan laughed. "I'll have to look into what it includes. It might even interest my father."


	12. Mike Kasperson

The Maitre d' led Kyle and Jessi to the elegantly set table where Mike Kasperson waited. He seated them and handed them menus, leaving them with the promise that their waiter would be with them momentarily. The restaurant was intimate and warm with solid wooden tables and chairs. The stucco walls were warmly lit with a yellowish light from the lamps and the fireplace in the brick wall to one side of the room gave the feel of a country inn.

Mike said, "Kyle, Jessi, thank you both very much for coming. I've been looking over the report you sent." He shook his head in wonder, "I'm amazed at the depth you've been able to achieve in such a short time."

Kyle said, "We wanted to make sure that we didn't miss anything."

"Well, you've done far more than I expected when I asked you to do this," Mike said. He noticed the waiter approaching, "Let's get dinner ordered first, and then we can get into this in some detail."

The waiter took their orders. Kyle opted for the Idaho Trout and Jessi the Quail with Black Truffles while Mike Kasperson chose a more prosaic Ribeye Steak.

After the waiter left, Mike said, "There is so much I want to talk to the two of you about, but let's start with the assignment. I told you I had been embarrassed by Julian Ballantine's CIR project. I wanted you to see if the project has been cleaned up and whether there were any similar liabilities still at Madacorp. Your report indicated that you were satisfied that the project had been mothballed and that there were no further risks, is that correct?"

Kyle nodded, "Yes, we looked for any signs that the CIR project was still active. That project has been completely terminated and its assets placed in storage. There could be legitimate uses for some of the technology but it has a serious risk of misuse."

"I agree with you," Mike said. "For now, I would rather make sure our house is in order and that what we are doing is going in the right direction. We can try to recover some of our investment in that sometime in the future when we have solid management controls in place. Did you find anything else that concerned you?"

"We didn't find any similar projects," Kyle assured him. "We looked at all of the financial data to look for money being spent in areas that weren't reported in the normal reporting structure but everything was accounted for. We think that Madacorp could be doing a better job of working to promote positive benefits for people, but there was nothing we thought was like the CIR project."

"There was a lot of waste and some small misappropriations that we found," Jessi said. "But we didn't see anything that represented a threat."

"That's what I concluded from your report," Mike said, nodding. He turned over his hand, "So, let's talk about the second half of your assignment. I asked for your opinion on whether to confirm Emily Hollander in her position. What is your advice?"

Kyle looked to Jessi, who said, "Emily has done a good job of cleaning up the CIR project. She also did a good job of dealing with the publicity from the large blackout that Kyle caused when he took down the CIR project."

"I couldn't have done it without your help," Kyle smiled at her.

She smiled in return, "From what we've been able to see, she's been doing a good job of managing Madacorp," Jessi said. "We think she should keep doing so."

"That was my conclusion too," Mike agreed. "I'll recommend to the rest of the board that they confirm her. I'm sure they'll do so." He paused for a moment and pulled a disk out of his folder, holding it up. "This part of your report is an amazing bonus. You have identified hundreds of places where we could save money or otherwise improve our operation. Your ability to see the scope of the entire operation is breathtaking."

"We have the ability to analyze a large volume of data," Kyle said. "Following your instructions, Emily gave us complete access. That let us look into everything. There were places we could see inefficiencies and some synergy between departments that were not communicating with each other."

"This disk is going to be worth millions to the operation," Mike said enthusiastically. "The biggest single line item is the problem that Jessi found with our antidepressant drug candidate. If that had not been found we would have spent millions on a failed clinical trial. The resulting publicity would probably have killed prospects for the drug, even if we could have reformulated it. It's hard to calculate how much the total amount you saved was." He looked at Jessi, "How did you see that?"

"From the data provided to the FDA to get permission for the trial, I was able to find the chemical structure," Jessi explained. "I looked at other clinical trials for comparable compounds and noticed one that had caused liver failure in a number of subjects. It was similar enough that I thought it could also happen with Madacorp's drug. It wasn't in the active part of the compound but part of the delivery mechanism. They should be able to structure it differently with the same effect.

"I don't know how the Madacorp people missed that," Mike frowned. "They're supposed to review the literature."

"They looked at all the studies in the area of anti-depression," Jessi said. "I looked at all clinical trials on record."

Mike stared at her. "My first reaction is to say that no one could do that, but, obviously, you did." He shook his head wonderingly. "You saved us millions and probably a few lives as well."

It was clear that Jessi hadn't considered the fact she had saved lives. She sat up straighter and looked at Kyle. He smiled approvingly at her.

Mike continued, "I asked you to do this as a favor to me and to Latnok and I'm extremely grateful. You can certainly call on me for any assistance you need in the future." He paused and waved the disk for emphasis, "This deserves more than simple thanks. I'm going to be sharing it with Emily Hollander to implement your suggestions and we'll be discussing appropriate ways of compensating you for your work."

"We just wanted to do a good job," Kyle said. "When we looked at the data we saw places that improvements could be made."

"Well, consulting at this level and this detail would not come cheap," Mike said. "And, frankly, it's hard to imagine finding a consulting firm that could have done this."

Two waiters arrived with their dinner. Kyle looked uncertainly at his whole trout, covered with pine nuts and a thin red sauce. Jessi was more comfortable with her quail.

After the waiter's had left, Mike said, "Now that we've got your report out of the way, there's a lot of things to talk about. At the Latnok meeting you said that you had found evidence of a number of projects such as biological warfare, supporting mercenaries and so on. Have you found anything more on that?"

Kyle said, "We've been focused on Madacorp. Because we were trying to answer your questions we only looked at Madacorp itself as well as directly owned subsidiaries. We think that the things we most object to are not in direct subsidiaries but operations that Madacorp or other Latnok facilities have invested in without direct control, or direct reporting. We've not had time to follow those trails."

"But you still think they exist?" Mike asked.

"Probably," Kyle said. "But it's going to take us some time to do the research." Kyle paused for a moment and then said, "I only got to spend a short time with Adam, but he seemed intent on making the world a better place. He told me that Latnok was made up of visionaries, great humanitarians, but it seems to have drifted far from that goal." He looked at Mike, "How did this happen?"

"There's a one word answer," Mike answered. "Money. Well, maybe two words, money and power. When we were young and idealistic, Adam inspired us all. We wanted to change the world. But we needed money to make our ideas become reality. So we needed investors. They weren't as committed to idealism as Adam. When I was helping him set up Madacorp ..."

"Adam Baylin set up Madacorp?" Kyle was surprised.

"Yes," Mike nodded, "the mada in Madacorp is Adam spelled backwards. We needed money to pay for the research facilities. We wound up having to exchange the majority of the equity for the capital. That's why Latnok only owns thirty two percent. Their corporate mission statement talks about integrating technology, science and art for the benefit of mankind. That was Adam's vision. It sounds like typical corporate platitudes now, but he meant it. With other people's money representing a controlling interest, making a near term financial return assumed higher priority. We found ourselves slowly shifting our focus away from more long term thinking. Adam founded Zzyzx as a subsidiary to focus it, but once again, the need for backers left him no longer in control."

"Latnok should have fought for him," Kyle said. "Didn't he create the group to make his vision a reality?"

"Unfortunately, once money got involved some of the members of Latnok became more interested in it and the power it gave them than in Adam's vision. It was easy to be idealistic when we were all grad students and our idea of a good time was a pizza and a bottle of wine." Mike smiled in memory, "But when rides on corporate jets became part of the picture some of us lost that idealism. By the time Adam got pushed out of Zzyzx, the board was fragmented into power groups. Adam became distant and spent most of his time in hiding."

Jessi said, "Adam told Kyle that Brian Taylor had been working in his own interests for years. Was he one of the ones who lost that idealism?"

"I didn't think so," Mike frowned. "He was Adam's best friend and confidant. For many years, he was Adam's primary conduit to the world. I don't know the details but I know it had something to do with his creating you, Jessi. After your existence became generally known within Latnok, Adam insisted that we banish him from the organization. Brian was trying to get us to reconsider and had set up a meeting with you, but that never happened for some reason."

Kyle said, "You said that the board fragmented into power groups. So what are the groups?"

Mike grimaced, "That's the tough question, of course. If you ask any of us outright, we will say that we still share Adam's vision -- but we have to be practical. That 'but' can cover anything from simple growing up to building a personal empire. We all play our cards pretty close to the chest. There have been rumors of physical danger from time to time." He sighed, "We've gone a long ways from grad students sharing pizza."

"What about you," Kyle asked.

"I still share Adam's vision, but we have to be practical," Mike laughed. He shook his head in frustration and continued, "I am encouraged by the two of you being on the scene, young and idealistic. I'm hoping you can make a difference. You can count on my help. I already said that I owed you, but this is something I owe Adam, too."

"Who else do you think we can count on," Kyle asked.

"Allana Sellars is one of your most outspoken advocates," Mike said. "I also think that Ryan Melland is in your camp. Ben Crossgate has been pushing for us to follow Adam's vision, but frankly, he lacks the power to make it happen. That's really why he currently chairs the board. The people who only want to give lip service to the cause pushed him knowing that he would talk a good game but support the status quo. I think Abby Hawkins would be supportive as well."

"Who do you think we have to worry about?" Kyle asked.

Mike grimaced, "These are all my old friends, but I haven't trusted Brad Keels or Robert Lukeson for years. Grace has become bitter and I know she's playing the personal power game. I'm not confident enough about any of the others to say, but I would advise caution in dealing with them. Hell, I'd advise using caution in dealing with any of us."

"Don't worry, we will," Kyle said with an engaging smile.

They looked at each other for a moment, then Mike said, "Thank you for having dinner with me. This has been really encouraging." He looked down at the Latnok ring on his hand, then looked back at them and said, "I'm becoming excited about getting back on track. I hope we can do this again sometime."

"Maybe next time we'll have pizza," Kyle said with a smile.


	13. Josh's Room

Saturday morning after breakfast, Josh was in his room for his regularly scheduled weekend morning game of G-Force with Andy. He and Andy had worked well as a team, usually winning the matches that they had with other teams. After a couple of hours of play, their most recent opponents typed G.G. and logged off. Andy messaged, "Do we have time for another?"

"Probably not," Josh responded. "Why don't we chat for a few minutes before I have to go to work?"

"Sure thing," Andy replied and in a couple minutes they had the game shut down and had video chat active.

"Still no Katie," Josh observed.

"What did you expect," Andy frowned. "You could reject her and she would still want to play games with us?"

"I suppose saying 'I just want to be friends' would be pretty lame," Josh agreed. "It was good to have her on our team, though."

"It was _our_ team," Andy said. "That's the problem. And the whole 'I want to be friends' ... really lame."

"I suppose so. I guess I'm still feeling bad about it. She is really nice, she just isn't you," Josh sighed, then changed the subject, "How are things in Cleveland?"

"Getting colder," Andy said. "The climate both physical and social ... colder here."

"I'm sorry," Josh said. "I hoped you would settle in, make some new friends."

"I didn't have that many old friends in Seattle," Andy informed him. "I'm kind of a loner if you haven't noticed."

"Hanging out in the boy's bathroom does kind of put you in a different social set," Josh observed.

"Well, I don't do that here." Andy frowned and changed the subject, "So how are things in Trager land?"

"Everybody's helping Jessi do something with a computer this afternoon," Josh said. "I can't help because I have to work."

"Not to mention you have no skills as a computer tech," Andy pointed out.

"There is that," Josh agreed. "Other than that, Lori had a set at 'Pockets' again. This time she was on stage for an hour. They had her name out front and everything."

"I would have liked to see that," Andy said. "Lori's getting into the biz. Hey, you know if she makes her own CD, my mom can help with that sort of thing. That's what she does, art design for media marking ... bands and stuff. She runs her own department here."

"I don't think Lori's putting out a CD anytime soon," Josh laughed. "But they did invite her back again." He paused for a moment and admitted, "She is getting better, more practiced at being on stage."

"I'd like to see that," Andy said.

"You could come with me to the next one," Josh said.

"Very funny," Andy scoffed, "I don't think I can exactly fly out for a date."

"Well, if you did, I would have something else in mind to do besides watching Lori play," Josh said.

"That's always on your mind," Andy said with a smile.

"Well, yes," Josh admitted. He continued, regaining the thought, "I could video some of her performance and send it to you. We could have a virtual date."

Andy smiled, "That would be nice."

"We have to find ways of staying connected," Josh insisted. "It's going to be a long time before we can be together again. I thought about Christmas, but there isn't going to be enough time."

"My moms still aren't with the program," Andy said. "So it's still no go."

"Do you think they'll be ready by next summer?" Josh asked.

"Maybe," Andy said. "I'm working on them. Are you willing to wait that long, just talking online?"

"I'm going to wait as long as it takes," Josh said. "I'm not giving up on us."

"Always the stubborn one," Andy smiled.

"Always."


	14. Kesdet Consulting

Jessi unlocked the glass door and let Declan and Jackie into the offices.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Tom wants us to keep the doors locked."

"Security is everything to Foss," Declan nodded.

Jackie pointed to the subdued lettering next to the door. "What's Kesdet Consulting?"

Jessi said, "It's Hungarian for 'beginning'. It's the name of the company that Kyle and I started. We are going to use it for this project and some others."

"You've started your own company now," Declan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it was Tom's idea," Jessi said. "It will make it easier to deal with other companies."

"So, I heard you needed help building some sort of super computer," Declan said, "What do you want us to do?"

"Come this way," Jessi indicated the direction with her arm. As she walked past the room they had dedicated to the computer equipment, she pointed and said, "Here is where we are going to put the computer system. Stephen and Tom are putting together the racks and installing the power supplies." She continued into the warehouse area where they had tables set up with components on them, in the back of the room near the roll-up door, there was a big pile of boxes. Mark was sitting at one of the tables with computer equipment in front of him and a laptop, Kyle was working on the other with a soldering iron, cabling and some circuit boards.

"I see they've got you doing this too," Mark said to Jackie. "I got double teamed, Lori and Stephen both strongly suggested that it would be good for me to be here."

Jackie pointed at Declan, "I get to spend Saturday with Declan, and I owe Jessi a lot for her help." Jessi smiled in response.

"Jackie, will you help Mark?" Jessi said, "I want to test all the individual blade systems as we unpack them before we try to interconnect them."

"All right," Jackie sat down next to Mark. There was a second laptop there.

"How can I help?" Declan asked.

"Could you help Lori and Nicole?" Jessi pointed at the pile of boxes. Then she sat down next to Kyle and started gathering components in front of her.

Declan went to Lori and repeated the question, "How can I help?"

Lori spread her hands indicating the boxes, "We're the receiving department. The brainiacs are doing all the computer geek stuff. We get to open the boxes, unwrap all the parts, and save all the documentation." She pointed to Nicole. "Mom is checking things off the list."

"Good," Declan smiled, "I didn't think there was going to be anything I could do to help." He turned to Nicole, "Hello Mrs. Trager."

"Hello, Declan, it's good to see you again. I've missed having you around." Declan glanced at Lori who blushed. Nicole continued, "Why don't you start by organizing the empty boxes, they're starting to get in the way here."

At the tables, Kyle looked up from his soldering and told Jackie, "There are sodas and juice in the refrigerator." He pointed in the direction of the break room. He added, "We are going to get some pizzas soon."

Jackie turned to Mark and asked, "What are we doing?"

"We are testing the blade systems. There is a protocol that we need to run on each of them." He pointed to a listing on the table. "What they are doing," he said indicating Kyle and Jessi, "I only have the vaguest idea. I didn't think assembling a computer system involved soldering."

Kyle looked up, "Jessi has designed some special interconnection hardware to allow the individual systems to interact better as a unit. We have to build that part ourselves."

Jackie looked at Mark and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged, "Yeah, that's my major and I can't figure it out, either. Jessi tried to explain it to me." Jessi looked at him and smiled, "but so far I'm having trouble." He pointed at the board in front of him interfaced to the laptop. "At least I can understand this. We could be stuck opening the boxes."

In the 'computer room', Tom Foss was assembling the rack system hardware and Stephen was adding the power supplies, plugging them in and turning them on to test them as he did.

Foss asked, "You're a computer science professor, do you know what this is all for?"

Stephen said, "I know they're building a computer system to model an invention they are working on. When you consider what they are capable of working out in their heads it must be a very big model. Jessi has invented an interconnection mechanism which will streamline the multi-processing. From what I can understand of her design, it's groundbreaking. It's actually pretty exciting to work on it."

"I should have known better than to ask," Foss said. "So, it's a really powerful computer.'

Stephen laughed, "Yes, for modeling it will be one of the most powerful systems in the world. I keep thinking I'm getting used to what they can do and then they turn around and casually do something that no one else has ever done." Stephen paused to turn on another power supply and see that it came up properly. "You worked with Adam for years. Was he like this? We only met him once and he was in poor health. He seemed bright, thoughtful, comforting. We were really worried about Kyle and he came and it just seemed everything was going to be all right."

Foss tightened another bolt then looked at Stephen, "Kyle is a lot like Adam. They both have a kind and generous soul, and a type of innocence. You can tell that Kyle is a lot smarter, he does things faster than Adam did."

"So this is how life has been for you?" Stephen gestured expansively taking in the project.

"Jessi makes a big difference," Foss said. "Adam was thoughtful. He would consider things a long time before acting. Jessi pushes Kyle and challenges him. She's more decisive and wants to make things happen. Things move faster."

"They do seem determined to change the world," Stephen nodded. "It's interesting to be part of the adventure."

"I think they will," Foss said, "as long as we can keep them safe."

Stephen gave him a hard look, "Is Latnok still a danger?"

"Some of the Latnok people are dangerous," Foss said. "Some are helpful. They are taking care of the dangerous ones. It's my job to watch their back while they do."

"It bothers me to have to rely on you to protect my family," Stephen frowned. "I feel like it should be my job. But you're the professional and I'm a college professor. I have to admit that you can do a better job."

"You can relax," Foss assured him. "I'm keeping watch on your family."

"All right," Stephen reluctantly said. He paused for a moment then said, "But if you hear that trouble is coming I want to know. Don't leave me in the dark."

"I'll let you know if anything comes up," Foss promised. "And I'll give you and the members of your family a number I can be reached at, in case of emergency."

A shout came from the other room, "The pizza is here."

Stephen looked at Foss and smiled, "Let's go get some before the kids eat it all." As they were leaving the room he quietly added, "Thank you."


	15. Trager Breakfast

The next morning breakfast at the Trager house was in the normal, casual, mode where everyone grabbed whatever they felt like eating. Kyle, as usual, was eating his sugary cereal augmented with sour patch kids.

Stephen watched him take a bite and grimaced slightly, then turned to Jessi, "How is the computer working?"

"We ran the diagnostics overnight; the system is working as planned. After breakfast we're going to load the model and start running the simulation."

"Will you have to go back to your building?" Nicole asked.

"No," Jessi said. "We have secure access from here. We won't need to go to there unless something breaks and we need to fix it."

Stephen asked, "Your interconnection devices are working properly? I've never seen anything like that described."

"The task sharing arbiters?" Jessi nodded. "They are working as designed. The system is able to move tasks between processors with a very low overhead."

"How long do you expect your simulation to run," Stephen asked.

"It's not deterministic," Kyle said. "We think it will take about three weeks."

"With that much computing power, that's an incredible amount of computation," Stephen said, then shrugged, "Of course it would have to be complex to be something you couldn't simply do in your heads."

"We think we can see it," Jessi said. "But it is to complex to be sure."

Lori said, "As fascinating as all this computer geek stuff is, I'm going to have to go to my room and get some work done."

"More songwriting?" Nicole asked.

"No, this time it's homework. I have a report due that I was putting off while I was getting ready for my performance."

"Would you like me to help," Jessi offered.

"Lori has to do her own homework," Nicole cautioned.

"I could check it when she's done," Jessi said.

Lori looked at Nicole who said, "That's fine, as long as Lori writes the report herself."

"Thank you, Jessi," Lori said. "I'd appreciate the help." She left the room and went up the stairs.

"And I have a scheduled game with Andy," Josh said.

"How is Andy doing?" Nicole asked. "Is she settling into the new town?"

"She isn't very happy in Cleveland," Josh shook his head and frowned. "She's having trouble fitting in. Her mothers seem to be having trouble too."

"Do you think they might move back?" Kyle asked.

"Not a chance," Josh said fatalistically. "Andy said that her mother really loves the opportunity she has to run her own creative department."

"What does she do?" Kyle asked.

"Something to do with creating promotional material for bands and other entertainers," Josh explained. "Andy doesn't talk about it much. She joked that if Lori recorded a CD her mother could help with the packaging and promotion.

"I think Lori's a long way from that," Nicole said.

"That's what I told her," Josh agreed. "I'd better get up to my room. I don't want to be late." He left the table carrying a piece of toast which he was munching as he went up the stairs.

After he had left, Nicole looked at Kyle with a concerned expression, "Is there anything going on with Latnok that we should know about?"

Kyle said, "We got a call from Emily Hollander asking us to come in and meet with her."

"What does she want?" Stephen looked surprised at the name. "Is she still at Madacorp?"

"She's in charge of Madacorp," Kyle said. "After our review of Madacorp, we recommended that she be kept on in that position. She may want to talk about that." Seeing the look on Nicole's face he added, "She says she's very sorry about how she treated Jessi and interfered with our family. She was afraid that they would hurt her daughter."

"She has a young daughter named 'Paige'," Jessi added.

"Well, be careful," Nicole said. "I still have nightmares about our day at Madacorp."

"We will," Kyle assured her. He added, "We're also going to have dinner with Allana Sellers, one of the Latnok board members. She seemed friendly at the meeting and we want to get to know her better. She may be able to help us."

"Brian says that we should meet the board members and have personal contact," Jessi said.

"Do you trust Brian Taylor?" Stephen asked.

"He's hiding things from us," Kyle said. "But his ideas sounded good."

Nicole nodded and then noticed Kyle dumping another bag of Sour Patch Kids on his cereal and laughed.

"What?" Kyle asked.

"It's just funny listening to the two of you talk about building supercomputers, auditing multinational corporations, and dining with fellow board members of a powerful secretive organization and then watching you put Sour Patch Kids on your breakfast," Nicole said.

"I like Sour Patch Kids," Kyle frowned slightly. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No," Nicole said. "Everything is just fine."


	16. Amanda

Amanda closed the lid on the piano and gathered up her music. The practice room was one of a series of similar rooms, little more than soundproof closets, just big enough to hold a piano with a door that could close to allow students to practice without disturbing each other. She put on her jacket, picked up her music and left, turning off the light.

As she walked toward the exit she stopped, staring in surprised recognition at the person waiting on a bench. "What are _you_ doing here?" She asked, with a hint of annoyance.

Nate Harrison got up from the bench where he'd been waiting and came forward saying, "Amanda, I had business on the east coast and I thought I would drop in and say hello."

"How did you find me?" Amanda asked. "Did _Kyle_ tell you where I was?"

"No, I didn't bother asking him," Nate chuckled at the thought. "When you didn't show up at The Rack for a number of days, they told me that you had come to a conservatory in New York for the semester. I called your house and when your mother answered, I told her that I worked at the high school. I said that the conservatory had called wanting one of your records faxed to them and that I had lost the piece of paper with the conservatory name and fax number. I asked her if she had it. She didn't have the fax number, of course, but she gave me the name."

"I'm surprised my mother told you anything. She's pretty suspicious."

"I was charming," Nate smiled. "And so, here I am. I was hoping I could buy you a cup of coffee."

"Nate, I'm sorry you came all this way, but I came here to get away from things back in Seattle for a while," Amanda spread her hands, " I just want to think about my music."

"So, we can talk about music," Nate said agreeably. "I admit that my area of expertise is in math, science and engineering. I haven't spent much time with music -- except popular music, of course. I'd be interested in hearing about your studies. Maybe I could learn something."

Amanda looked doubtful. "I don't know.'

"Amanda, it's just a cup of coffee." Nate added confidentially, "And, this place isn't really somewhere you just 'drop by'. I have a two hour drive to get back to the airport. Some hot coffee and a little conversation would make the trip worthwhile."

Amanda sighed, "Ok, I have time for a cup of coffee."

"And some talk about music." Nate offered his arm, "Shall we, Milady?"

Amanda ignored the offered arm and led the way toward the door. Nate walked alongside.

As they crossed the courtyard toward the coffee shop, Nate asked her, "Are you studying a lot of instruments or are you focusing on the piano?"

"Everybody studies music theory and some composition. If I were going to be here for more than a single semester, I would be studying a wide variety of instruments but with the short time I'm going to be here, I'm focusing on improving my piano techniques. The instructors here are superior to what I can get at home."

They reached the coffee shop and Nate held the door for her as they went in. He bought them coffees and they sat while she talked about what she had been learning. At first she spoke in short sentences but as he expressed interest and asked questions her comments became more expanded. As they neared the end of their coffee she was talking about the work she had been practicing that day.

"Eric Satie is different than what I usually play. It's still pleasingly melodic but instead of a lot of complex chords and notes carrying you along, it's more like you savor each of them before playing the next one."

"I'm having a hard time imagining it from your description," Nate frowned. "I'll have to search for it on the internet when I get home and see if I can find some examples."

"If you have time, we could go back to the practice studio and I could play some for you," Amanda offered.

Nate checked the time, "I don't have long, but I can make time for that. Would you like another coffee to go?"

"No, I don't want too much caffeine," Amanda said.

"I'm going to need it," Nate smiled. "Let me get some." He went back to the counter and returned with a full cup. He said, "Lead on, Maestro."

Amanda blushed, "I'm no where near good enough for that."

"Everything is relative," Nate assured her.

As they walked back across the courtyard, Amanda hesitantly asked, "How is ... everyone, back in Seattle."

Nate smiled, "Kyle doesn't share his feelings with me, I'm afraid. He appears fine, although a bit distracted. He and Jessi have been hanging out with our new manager, Brian Taylor a lot. I heard from Mark that he's taken her to a dance or two, but I don't know anything more."

"Kyle has taken Jessi dancing?" Amanda asked with a slight frown.

"That's what Mark said. I don't know anything more."

They got back to the practice room and Amanda opened up the piano. She sat down at the piano and looked uncomfortably at Nate. Nate stepped back against the door to give her as much space as possible and she relaxed and began to play.

After she had played a couple of sections she asked, "Do you see what I mean?"

Nate nodded, "It does seem as if you taste each note. When I get back, I'll have to look up some Eric Satie."

Amanda offered, "I can email you some MP3's"

"That would be great," Nate agreed. He checked the time. "I really have to get going. If I stay any longer I am going to have to violate the laws of physics as well as those of New YorkState."

Amanda laughed and picked up her coat. They went through the door of the building and stopped on the steps.

Nate said, "Thanks for the coffee and the lesson. I guess I'll see you when you get back. When are you coming back, by the way?"

"I'll be back for Christmas, and then spend my final semester of my senior year at Beachwood," Amanda said.

"Then I'll see you at Christmas."

"I'll see you at Christmas," Amanda echoed and then frowned as she watched him hurry toward the parking lot.


	17. Madacorp

Once again, Kyle and Jessi entered the glass atrium of Madacorp. They passed under the screens promoting "Technology, Science, Art, only one company integrates all three for the benefit of mankind", and put on their badges as they approached the metal detectors.

_Madacorp had once been our enemy. A sinister operation that had manipulated Jessi's mind and disrupted the Trager family to get what was in my head. We had terminated that project and Julian Ballantine had been replaced by Emily Hollander who had turned out to be more of a fellow victim than an opponent. Now that Jessi and I had studied Madacorp, it was a familiar place. I saw it as another one of Adam's creations drifted from the goals he had set and hoped that in some way, our efforts for Mike Kasperson would move Madacorp back toward working 'for the benefit of mankind'. Emily had asked us to meet with her about our study, so we were back once more, wearing our badges that said we were welcome anywhere in the building._

Their retinal scan gave them access to the executive elevator and they were soon in the executive office were they were greeted by a familiar tall woman with long blond hair.

Kyle said, "Hello Tiffany, We have an appointment with Emily."

Tiffany nodded, "Ms. Hollander is expecting you. She spoke into her headset, "Mr. Trager and Ms. Taylor are here." She listened for a moment and said, "You can go right in." She indicated the wooden door with the inset glass panels."

Emily Hollander came from behind her desk saying, "I'm glad you could come." She shook their hands and indicated a couple of seats in front of the desk, "Please, sit down." Kyle and Jessi sat in the offered seats.

After Emily sat down she began, "I want to thank both of you for your vote of confidence. Mike Kasperson told me that you had recommended me for confirmation in this position and that he was going to recommend it to our board at their next meeting. I'm going to do my best to make this company something we can all be proud of."

"You _are_ doing a good job," Kyle said. "You don't need to thank us for telling the truth."

"Nevertheless, I'm aware that our early encounters were not something I am proud of. I'm still trying to make amends." She gathered her thoughts for a moment and then said, "The reason I asked you to come is that I am hoping that we can continue to work together."

"What do you want us to do?" Jessi asked with a wary expression.

"This disk," Emily picked up the familiar disk from her desk, "is worth literally millions to this company. Since Mike shared it with me, I have been working to implement the changes you suggested. Some will take months, of course, but the simple ones are already done. I would like the two of you to help implement some of the longer term changes, especially the ones in the drug program you suggested, Jessi." She took a breath and said, "With Mike's encouragement we would like to offer you an ongoing consulting relationship."

Kyle frowned, "We have our own plans. We want to remain independent."

"We know that," Emily nodded, "We are not asking for a lot of time, just an occasional meeting and perhaps a review every few months. It would all be at your convenience, of course. You would be independent consultants in a contract that could be terminated by either party at any time. You would maintain complete independence and continue to have unrestricted access. We are willing to pay quite well for this. Based on the value of what you provided, Mike thinks a six figure monthly fee would be very reasonable."

"I would like to see some changes in emphasis," Kyle warned. "Madacorp is doing many things to improve the world but it could do more. Madacorp really was founded 'for the benefit of mankind'. It has lost its way in the desire to make more money."

"I have to keep the company profitable," Emily said. "We have stockholders and a share price that we have to keep up. But with your help, I'm sure we can both keep them happy and refocus our efforts as well."

Kyle turned to Jessi and asked, "Do you want to do this?"

Jessi said, "We could use Kesdet Consulting. That's what it's for."

Emily looked puzzled, "What's Kesdet Consulting?"

Kyle explained, "It's our new corporation. We formed it to allow us to interact with businesses easier."

"That would be perfect," Emily said. She smiled, "It would actually look better on the books to have the contract with Kesdet Consulting than with Kyle Trager and Jessi Taylor. That could be hard to explain to someone who doesn't know your story, and we know better than to tell anyone else."

Kyle looked at Jessi and she nodded. He turned back to Emily, "As long as we can end the agreement anytime we want, we'll do it."

Emily smiled, "That will be great. I can have the legal department draw up an agreement. You can have your lawyer look at it and make any changes you want." She thought for a moment and added, "Do you have a lawyer?"

Kyle said, "I've read corporate law books, I can take care of that."

"All right," Emily said slowly. "Is there anything you want to ask me?"

Jessi hesitated, "I'd like to see Paige again. She's a nice little girl."

"She keeps the lion you drew on her wall," Emily told her. "I think she'd like to see you too." She hesitated momentarily and then said, "Perhaps the two of you would like to come to my house for dinner some time?"

"I'd like that," Jessi said. "We could have spaghetti -- with mushrooms."

Emily laughed and shook her head wonderingly, "Anything you'd like."


	18. Lori and Mark

Lori and Mark stood at the side of the room watching dancers at the fraternity dance. The large room was packed with dancers, a number of them visibly inebriated.

Mark struggled to be heard over the noise, "So, you wanted to come to a college dance. It's certainly different from a high school dance, isn't it?"

"There's certainly a lot more beer," Lori said. "It's more like one of Preston's parties. At least the ones he throws when his parents are away."

Mark looked puzzled, "I didn't know that high school kids had parties like this. They certainly didn't invite me to them when I was in high school."

"You were fifteen," Lori said.

"That's true," Mark said. The song finished and the next one began, causing him to frown, "I wouldn't have chosen that transition," he said critically.

Lori laughed, "You're here to dance, not second guess the D.J." She seized his hand and led him into the center of the room. Mark momentarily looked like he wanted to escape and then looked at Lori and started to dance with her. As they danced, she said, "See, you're getting better."

Mark smiled, "I guess I am." They danced until the end of the song when he suggested, "Let's go get something to drink."

They went to the bar, where Mark said, "I'll have a beer."

Lori said, "I'll have one too." Mark looked at her disapprovingly and she raised an eyebrow and said, "Seriously?"

Mark opened his hands, "I promised your father."

Lori glared at him for a moment and then said to the bartender, "I guess I'm the designated driver. Could I have a soda?"

As they walked away from the bar, Lori said, "This _is_ like high school. If this were one of Preston's parties, I'd be hammered by now."

As they walked to the side of the room, a tall blonde carrying a beer, obviously not her first, put a hand on Lori's shoulder, stopping her and said, "Um, Trager, isn't it? Lori Trager?"

Lori hesitantly said, "Yes."

"I saw you at 'Pockets'," the girl said. "I really like your songs. Do you have a CD?"

Lori looked surprised and said, "No."

"I wanted to buy one," she said. "You should make a CD." She took another drink, and asked, "Are you coming back to 'Pockets' again?"

"Yes, in a few weeks," Lori answered, "I don't have the date yet."

"Good, I'll be watching for you," her fan said and then moved off into the party. "Maybe you'll have a CD then."

Lori stood still, watching her go.

Mark laughed, "Your fans. You can't go anywhere without them being all over you." He looked at her thoughtfully, "Seriously, though, you should think about making a CD."

"I'm not ready for that," Lori said, still shocked at the encounter.

"Well, apparently, your fans are," Mark pointed in the direction the blonde had gone. "Maybe after your next show we should start talking about that."

"I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I have to get ready for another show," Lori said.


	19. Allana Sellers

Kyle and Jessi had made reservations in the same restaurant that they had met Mike Kasperson. They had arrived before their guest and been seated at their table. While they waited, they admired the warmth of the fire in the brick wall.

They looked up to see the Maitre d' approaching followed by Allana Sellers, a thin, Asian woman. He seated her at the table and said, "Your waiter will be with you in a moment."

_Brian Taylor had told us that we should build relationships with individual board members who might be our allies. When Cassidy had forced me to do work with the Latnok group at UDub I had been surprised to see how many of the students were bright people, trying to do good things. As we learned more about the Latnok board, I realized that many of them had once been like those students. Adam had inspired them to build Latnok to change the world for the better. I hoped that there would still be some embers left of the fire Adam had started which could burn again. Allana still seemed to have some of the fire within her._

As he left, Kyle said, "Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for inviting me," Allana said warmly. "I was really pleased to get your call." She smiled at them and said, wonderingly, "The two of you represent a fascinating development. On one hand you are a couple of bright teenagers, on another you strongly inspire memories of Adam Baylin, and," she nodded to Jessi, "Sarah Emerson, and finally you are the result of a project of almost twenty years duration. One that was at the cornerstone of the vision that Adam had when he brought us together. You may well represent the next phase in human evolution."

"That's a lot of things to be," Kyle observed with a smile.

"Yes," Allana smiled, "And various people are focusing on different aspects of what you represent. Different people are seeing you in different ways."

"And how do _you_ see us?" Kyle asked.

"Another chance," Allana said.

"Another chance?" Kyle asked.

"When I was a young, idealistic grad student, I met a visionary named Adam Baylin, he told us that we could enhance human abilities and that it would let us change the world, end war and poverty. We were all brilliant, of course, but he was so far ahead of us. His vision collected us and inspired us. We had such hopes for the future." She looked into the distance, remembering, "We have fallen far short of our dreams." She shrugged, "We've done some good, made a lot of money and we manage a rather extensive technological empire. But the world has changed very little. Adam drifted away from us. And now he's gone." She looked back at Kyle and Jessi, the glint of tears in her eyes, "You're another chance."

Kyle and Jessi looked at each other. Kyle reached out to take Jessi's hand and squeeze it. The waiter arrived, interrupting the discussion to take their order. Jessi said that she would have the quail again but Kyle opted for the scollops.

Allana asked, "Is the quail good?

"I liked it," Jessi said.

Allana smiled, "Then I'll have it too."

After the waiter left, Kyle assured her, "We want to be another chance. After Latnok kidnapped Amanda and me from the Prom, I wanted to meet with the board and arrange a deal to provide safety to the ones I love. Jessi urged me to do more. She said that we could restore Adam and Sarah's vision. Now we find ourselves on the Latnok board, trying to find a way to do that. We need help."

"I'm terribly sorry about that kidnapping. The people who viewed you mainly as an experiment pushed for that as a test of your abilities. I didn't agree, but we were in the minority. It was a terrible mistake," Allana said. "I want to help you any way I can. What do you need from me?"

Kyle explained, "We want to get to know you. We want to know more about the other members of the board. You said that there were people on the board who couldn't be trusted. We want to hear about that. We want to know what Latnok is today."

"I want to hear about my mother," Jessi said. "You said you were a good friend of hers."

Allana looked at Jessi and smiled, "I liked Sarah. Not everyone did." She thought a moment and explained, "Sarah Emerson wasn't as advanced, intellectually, as Adam, but she was smarter than the rest of us. While Adam was confident and inspirational, Sarah was competitive and driven. She wanted to be the best at anything she tried. Sometimes that rubbed people the wrong way. People who are really intelligent aren't used to having someone more intelligent show them up. Sarah could be blunt about that." She chuckled to herself in memory. "And, of course, there was the jealousy."

"The jealousy?" Jessi frowned.

"Adam was brilliant, kind, understanding. Of course we were all in love with him to one degree or another. The men platonically, for the most part, the women were more hopeful." She looked at Kyle and smiled, "I never really had more than a crush. I wasn't stupid. Adam loved Sarah; the two of them were always together. Anyone could see that they were soul mates. Or at least anyone could who wasn't determined to deceive themselves."

"This jealousy caused trouble?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, people tried to drive a wedge between them. And there were people maneuvering behind Adam's back. Sarah tried to warn him, but they were his friends and he wanted to think the best of them. They fought over it. Sometimes she would express her frustration to me over coffee. I tried to encourage her to be patient with him." She shook her head, "Patience wasn't one of Sarah's virtues."

"What happened between them?" Jessi asked. "Why did Sarah leave?"

"I don't know," Allana said. "I know they had been arguing over the experiment. Adam wanted her to be your egg donor, Kyle, and she was reluctant. There were other things going on, too. We were starting to have serious money involved in what we were doing. Millions of dollars were at stake. Some of us were beginning to be tempted and there were outsiders involved as well. Sarah could see this and it worried her, Adam didn't want to listen." She sighed, "All I know is that one morning she was gone."

"And no one knew where she went?" Jessi asked.

"Sarah Emerson was smart, if she wanted to disappear, even Adam couldn't find her. He tried, but as far as I know, he was unsuccessful." Allana shook her head sadly, "One day we got news that she had been in a car accident and had been killed. Some of us suspected that it might not have been an accident, as I said, there were some sinister things starting to happen. My theory is that someone made an attempt and failed and she took advantage of it to disappear. That's just a guess. I had hoped to see her when she reappeared, but now she's gone again." She looked at Jessi, "She really _is_ dead this time?"

"I wasn't lying," Jessi said with a hint of defensiveness. "I heard her heart stop beating."

"I'm so very sorry, Jessi, "Allana said. "I've always thought things would have been better if she had been able to stay with us. She could have kept Adam engaged."

"Are we just going to let Cassidy get away with killing her?" Jessi demanded.

"I don't want to," Allana said frankly. "But Grace and her faction have blocked any action so far. We don't have any evidence other than what the two of you told us." She held up a hand to forestall Jessi's objection, "and I believe you completely. Even those of us who want to take action don't really know what to do. We can't go to the police. And we are not the kind of people to hire hit men. That's the specialty of the other faction."

"They would hire hit men?" Kyle asked, concerned.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Allana nodded. "There have been rumors, veiled threats. People have disappeared besides Sarah. I can't prove anything of course, and it could be a bluff." She said with a sense of anger, "If you think of anything that can be done, you have my complete support. You're right, her death should be avenged."

Kyle hesitantly asked, "Do you know why Grace was the egg donor for me?"

"I don't know, Kyle,' Allana shrugged. "In those days Grace was more of a believer. She adored Adam and was probably the most jealous of Sarah for that reason. Why Adam chose her for the project, I can't say. I do know that as the years went by she became bitter and cynical. I suspect she hoped that when Sarah disappeared, she could have Adam. I could have told her that was hopeless, but we really weren't on close terms."

"What can you tell us about Brian Taylor?" Kyle asked.

"He was Adams best friend," Allana said, "his right hand man. I know that he had trusted him for years. I was quite surprised when Adam insisted that Brian had betrayed him and wanted him exiled from Latnok. We did what Adam asked, of course, but he never explained the details. I understand it had something to do with you, Jessi. But beyond that I don't know. Brian always struck me as someone who believed in our vision. But then there have been a number of people who didn't live up to my expectations. I could be wrong."

"What can you tell me about the other board members?" Kyle asked.

"I can give you my opinions," Allana said, "I could certainly be wrong. I like Abbie Hawkins, she obviously still believes and is frustrated. Ryan Melland still retains a certain childlike enthusiasm. I think he can be counted on. Mike Kasperson is a bit stodgy but he seems pretty straightforward."

Kyle nodded, "Mike asked us to review Madacorp, we've been working with him." Kyle smiled, "I think I agree with you."

"That was smart of him," Allana observed. "Ben Crossgate believes, but he is a follower, not a leader. They push him around. You know about Grace. Brad Keels really scares me. When I thought someone had killed Jessi I suspected he was involved. Robert Lukesen is cold, I'm not sure he ever really believed. I feel much the same way about Paul Milworth." She paused for a moment and continued, "I'm not sure about Julie Fairburn, we never were close. I know she and Paul were an item once and she usually goes along with him, but what her personal views are now, I can't guess. I don't know Craig Tamblyn well anymore either. He used to believe but he's become discouraged and cynical over the years." She shrugged, "I don't know if that helps you at all."

"It does," Kyle said, "We are trying to understand the personal dynamics. It's good to have different perspectives."

"What are you going to do, now?" Allana asked.

"We are going to sort out which members can still believe and which are taking Latnok in dark directions," Kyle said. "We are going to have to track down and document what they are doing. We want to rebuild Latnok. We want to be your second chance."

Allana said, "I thought I was foolish to hope that a couple of teenagers could undo the damages that the years have done. But seeing you, talking to you, I begin to believe. It's like being around Adam again. It's good to have hope once more. Thank you for that."

"Allana, Adam Baylin and Sarah Emerson built an organization 'for the betterment of mankind', it is capable and powerful but it has lost its way. We have access to amazing technology, with more of it coming online every day. We can do tremendous things. But too many children go to bed hungry and afraid. For some of them their bed is in a cardboard box on a sidewalk." Kyle looked Allana in the eyes, "We can do something about this. Jessi and I are going to remake Latnok into the force for good it was built for. Will you help us?"

Allana looked at Kyle as if he were the morning sunrise, tears welling in her eyes. She said, "With my last breath."

Kyle glanced at Jessi and was surprised to see a similar expression on her face.


	20. Grace

Grace Kingsley was having lunch with Brad Keels at the same restaurant they had met after the Latnok meeting. The classic art deco look and wood paneling provided a calm elegant environment for their meeting, which was, obviously less than calm. Grace, the well dressed, middle aged businesswoman was trying to reassure Keels, her bald headed companion, who was obviously agitated.

"Brad, you are getting ahead of yourself here, I have a plan to slow them down, to discourage them," Grace said. "There may not be anything to worry about. There's no need for drastic measures -- at least not yet, anyway."

"I know you want to protect the boy," Keels said. "I understand that. But, understand this, Grace. I am not going to let them dig into my operations. I've made a lot of sensitive arrangements that could come apart if they go pawing around through them."

"We all have things at risk, Brad," Grace assured him. "We can get through this if we keep our heads."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do," Keels said. "Keep _my_ head." He jabbed at the table with his index finger for emphasis, "Look, I'm the one on the bubble here. If they start digging into our operations, it's going to be _me_ they focus on first, you know that."

Grace said, "You're the one who decided that you wanted to play soldiers with private armies. I never thought that was a particularly wise game to play."

"You're never going to impose a modern democratic structure in those regions. The British demonstrated that," Keels said. "You have to destroy the tribal paradigm first. And war is the most efficient way to accomplish that goal. Historically it reforms society."

Grace sighed, "We've had this argument for years. You know what Adam thought of your theories."

"Adam was unrealistic," Keels said in frustration, "He wanted to 'change the world' without inconveniencing anyone. It can't be done."

"I'm not here to debate sociology with you, Brad," Grace said. "I just want us to manage the threat in a reasonable manner without destroying irreplaceable assets. That's how you do business."

"In the business I'm in, Grace," Keels said. "We understand about 'acceptable losses'. You often lose assets in an operation. You accept that and move on."

"If it comes to that, we will," Grace assured him. "We are not at that point, yet."

"And if we get to that point, will there be any way to undo the damage they've done?" Keels asked pointedly. "Will we have any warning before they drop a big packet of data on the boardroom table?"

"They'll work thorough Crossgate," Grace assured him. "Like any good administrator, he will distribute the information to the board for review before we meet. There will be a window of opportunity before the actual meeting."

"That's if they decide to work through the board," Keels objected. "What if they decide to go freelance? They didn't work though the board when they took out that project of yours and Cassidy's."

"They weren't on the board yet," Grace said. "Now that they are, they will happily follow its structure in making their case. We'll have time to react."

Keels snorted, "For you, the risk is that you might have to have legal battles, you might lose access to some of your funding sources. I understand you may think the risk is acceptable."

"There are potential criminal liabilities as well," Grace added. "We face serious risks."

"Well, if things go south for me, we could be talking about war crimes tribunals. That's an entirely different level of risk. Not to mention I've made commitments to some rather dangerous people," Keels said. He took a breath and let it out, "I know you want to protect the boy, Grace. But you made a good case that we could deal with the problem by eliminating the girl. Why not just do that now?"

"It would be a very risky step," Grace frowned. "If there was a mistake it would be disastrous."

"I deal with experts. I have resources that will make her disappear without a trace. There won't be any mistakes," Keels promised, coldly.

Grace shuddered slightly, "I don't want to get into that unless we absolutely have to."

"I think we are at the point where we have to take action," Keels insisted. "These things don't happen overnight, they take time to plan and prepare." He paused for a moment and then said, decisively, "I'm going to start setting up the op, choosing the personnel, getting the assets in place. I can't wait any longer."

"We haven't agreed to that," Grace said with alarm.

" _We_ don't have to agree," Keels said, firmly. "We've cooperated voluntarily for years but I reserve the right to act independently to protect my interests." Noting Grace's reaction, he continued, firmly, "from _any_ threat." After a moment, he relaxed and said placating, "I'm just putting assets in place, Grace. You'll have more time for your solution to work before I pull the trigger."


End file.
